Learn how to prune your fruit trees at a summer pruning workshop led by a local expert at an orchard in the Strawberry Vale area.

Tim Fryatt will walk participants through the basics of pruning and provide a live demonstration on one of the many trees at the Welland Community Orchard during the July 24 workshop, hosted by the LifeCycles Project Society.

Effective pruning techniques can help control disease, enhance the flavour of the backyard harvest and make trees more fruitful.

Fryatt will explain why, how and when to prune trees and vines, how to select the proper tools, and how to use and care for those tools.

Participants are advised to come dressed for the elements, as the workshop is held outdoors.

The workshop costs $27.54. The event runs 10 a.m. to noon on July 24 at the Welland Legacy Park and Community Orchard, 1215 Stancil Lane.

Onsite parking is limited. Additional parking can be found at the Strawberry Vale Community Centre, 11 High St. A marked walking path at the bottom of the lot leads to the orchard.

To register, go to eventbrite.ca and search “summer pruning with Tim Fryatt.”

The legislative assembly will light up on Monday to mark the start of the Special Olympics Global Week of Inclusion. The event, which takes place across the province, asks people to commit to making their communities more inclusive for people with intellectual disabilities.

Other B.C. landmarks expected to be lit up for the occasion include B.C. Place, the Burrard Street Bridge, the Canada Place Sails of Light, Science World, Telus Garden, Vancouver City Hall, Vancouver Convention Centre and Vancouver Lookout Tower in Vancouver, the Sails Fountain in Kelowna, and Mr. PG in Prince George.

The City of Victoria will also issue a proclamation to honour the Special Olympics Global Week of Inclusion.

For more information, go to specialolympics.ca/british-columbia.

New or gently used building materials and home décor items will be collected at a pop-up donation drop at the Bings Creek Waste Management Centre in Duncan on July 29.

It’s the second and final pop-up event for the pilot project sponsored by Habitat for Humanity Mid-Vancouver Island in partnership with the Cowichan Valley Regional District. The first was held last week.

Doug Stevens, manager of solid waste operations for the CVRD, says the goal is to keep usable materials out of the landfill and give them a second life.

“Sometimes we see large pieces of good-quality plywood and lumber in the wood waste bin that could be used by Habitat for Humanity for local building projects.”

The pilot program will be run by Habitat for Humanity volunteers who will sort through the materials to ensure items can be used in building projects or sold at the Duncan ReStore.

The drop off will be open 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. July 29 at Bings Creek Waste Management Centre, 3900 Drinkwater Rd.

Donations must be in good, clean working condition.

For more information, go to habitatmvi.org/donating-household-goods.

Parents who want to start bike riding with their children this summer but don’t know how or where to start can enroll in the All-Aboard Family Cycling program offered by Capital Bike.

This is the second year of the initiative, funded by Island Health’s Community Wellness program.

“Many parents want to ride bikes as a family but have a lot of questions about equipment and how to ride safely,” said Adam Krupper, executive director of Capital Bike. “So we designed this really fun, interactive, and modular program so that families can drop in on sessions most relevant to them.”

The program consists of workshops on everything from how to ride with children to riding while pregnant, cycling skills courses for different ages and a guided family ride.

Registration is recommended, but people can still attend on an ad hoc basis. Events are scheduled for a variety of dates in July and August.

“It’s understandable that parents have concerns about their little ones riding bikes. But they remember how much fun it was to bike when they were young and want their children to have the same opportunity,” said Susanna Grimes, bike education co-ordinator.

“With the growing [all ages and abilities] cycling network, more amazing, beautiful places are accessible by bike than ever before. We want to help families take advantage of that.”

Register at capitalbike.ca/family-cycling-program.

Every day, approximately 20 to 30 displaced Ukrainians arrive in B.C., but many find very limited housing opportunities.

In partnership with the B.C. government, Ukrainian Canadian Congress and Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of B.C., United Way B.C. has been supporting settlement agencies in finding housing for the newcomers.

The agency has so far matched 233 displaced Ukrainians with hosts providing free accommodation, but says others remain in hotels awaiting long-term housing. Housing offers have dropped significantly at a time when many short-term opportunities are ending, it says.

On July 18, United Way B.C. is hosting a virtual information session to explain what kind of housing is needed — everything from rooms to suites, both short and long-term — and how people can help.

Applications are vetted to ensure the most suitable matches based on the individual and family needs of arriving Ukrainians, the organization says.

The Zoom meeting starts at 6 p.m. July 18. For more information, contact infoukraine@uwbc.ca or register online. To volunteer and help Ukrainians, go to ivolunteer.ca. To contribute to United for Ukraine, go to donate.uwbc.ca. For support and resources, go to bc211.ca.

Support research into spinal cord injury at Shim’s Ride, a closed-circuit bike race at Windsor Park on July 30 that promises to introduce spectators to the world of handcycling.

Friends of Mathew Szymanowski, affectionately known as Shim, have been cycling to raise funds for spinal cord injuries in his honour since 2020. The previous year, the rower and cyclist suffered a spinal cord injury when he was hit by a vehicle while training.

Inspired by their friend and teammate, they have completed long bike rides each year, raising funds along the way. Past rides include a 520-kilometre ride from Port Hardy to Victoria in 2020 and from Hope to Victoria the following year.

Registration is $40 for adults and juniors who pre-register and $50 on the day.

There are four races at Windsor Park on July 30, starting at 8:30 a.m., with a hand bike demo at 10:15 and race awards at 11:40 a.m.

Proceeds from race entries and merchandise sales will be donated to Praxis Spinal Cord Institute, a Canadian-based not-for-profit organization that leads global collaboration in spinal cord injury research, innovation and care.

For more information, go to shimsride.ca/home-shop.