Despite the wet, windy and shall we say brisk weather recently, the park has been displaying all sorts of spring finery, from the copper beech leaves to the orange blossoms of the Berberis Darwinii.
And it looks like the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic may be relaxed as anticipated in the next weeks, despite the possible rise of a new variant.
Some of us may be feeling like Rip Van Winkle – we may not believe things have taken place over the last year, since our own lives may seemed to have hit the pause for a long time.
However, several things in the park have moved forward besides Nature doing its natural things!
The council has kept up most of its usual tasks (care of the bowling green, and cut and clear’ approach to other areas) and the Friends the ongoing funding of gardening services each month and of summer bedding plants.
The Council’s work in the Park
Additional work has been completed under the auspices of Council Greenspace and Parks officer and Play officer assigned to the Park:
Essential maintenance on the Toddler area with new equipment replacing some worn-out items.
Addition of play equipment in the greenspace behind the St Thomas Junior School. This has given children of a range of ages a new place to play.
Installation of some larger bins so popular long weekends have less chance of producing overflowing bins.
Very recently, creation of a ‘soakaway’ or sump in the ‘Wild Corner’ to help with the drainage issues in the football pitch. Here are two workers preparing the gravel.
Part of the Friends’ remit is to help the Council prioritise work in our park and to make sure budget set aside for the park is actually spent. This can take quite a bit of time, especially as the Council officers look after dozens of parks and greenspaces.
Meanwhile, on the volunteer side
The Friends funded work by the amazing Chainsaw artist that transformed a stump into a very wise looking Owl overlooking the Toddler Area.
The talented carpenters from the Men in Sheds group replaced some of the supports in the Woodland Walk.
A Friend to the Friends hung bag dispensers on the 4 entrances to park to encourage visitors to bag any rubbish and take it home or to use for dog waste.
What’s next?
The friends are looking at some projects. The following are a few:
- The Friends are not entirely sure the drainage issue will be solved by a soakaway, so we are keeping an eye on what happens to the path at the corner of Park and Buckingham after a heavy rain.
- Checking that the rotation of the football goal posts takes place in a timely fashion, so the current goal areas can ‘have a rest.’
- Hopefully, installing some more picnic benches.
- Refurbishing the tennis courts. This will be largely down to the Friends’ fundraising efforts.