Friends of Preston Park

Our Wreath Making event last Saturday was a huge success – rather too much in fact so as we ended up running out of moss. Next year we will make sure we have plenty of everything!

Thanks Rose Jones for the photos

The calendar contains pictures from this year’s photo competition.

You can buy it for £5 at the Chalet Cafe or Rotunda Cafe in the park.

And the winners are:

Sports and recreation: Jill Anderson

Landscapes: Miranda Glavin

Flora and fauna: Simon Wheeler

People and pets: Jill Anderson

And this picture was also the winner of the overall competition!

We were delighted that the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Dee Simson, was able to attend this year’s Lantern Walk. She chose this year’s winners and presented them with their prizes:

Winner of Best Lantern: Amelie Deaville

Winner of Best Adult Fancy Dress: Joao Inagio and Winner of Best Child’s Fancy Dress: Andre Silva

Thanks to Mark Nelson for the photos

All entries are now in for the 2018 photo competition. Thanks for all those who submitted such fantastic entries!

Your online votes will decide the winners. You can vote for up to three photos in each of the four categories:

Landscapes

Flora and Fauna

Sports and Recreation

People and Pets

Note that you will only be allowed to vote once in each category from a single computer/device.

Voting will be closed on 30th September at 11pm. The winners will be announced at our Annual General Meeting on November 3rd.

As part of the Heritage Open Days there will be an Illustrated History of Preston Park walk and a choice of 3 Rock Garden walks.The walks are free and there’s no need to book. Here are the dates:

Rock Garden Walks:

Come and celebrate the enduring charm of Preston Rock Gardens with a 90-minute guided tour from Andy, the head gardener. Learn about the history and plans for the future for this lovely garden.

Preston Rock Garden was built between 1934 and 1936 on a disused railway bank and covers nearly a hectare (2.4 acres). The Rockery, or Rookery as it’s often called, has seen many changes over the years. In recent years the waterfall has been repaired and the pond drained to remove 155 tons of silt. A major overhaul of the planting has also taken place.

• Thursday 6 September 12.00 to 13.30
• Saturday 8 September 12.00 to 13.30
• Saturday 15 September 12.00 to 13.30

Meet outside the chalet in the Rock Garden

Illustrated History of Preston Park walk

Ever wondered about the history of Preston Park – the biggest and first municipal park in the city? This Illustrated History of Preston Park Walk will take you on a journey from Roman times to the present day. What was the ancient significance of this plot? Who owned the land, and when and why did they sell it? Who provided the money to buy the land to be a park? You will get to know the strange and varied buildings in the park, two of which are listed, one of which was bought from a distant agricultural show and moved, piecemeal, to the park. You’ll meet – in pictorial form – the eccentric man who fashioned much of the park’s display as it’s seen today – an early recycler of materials. And there are interesting stories about the park’s use in both the First and Second World Wars. Researched from a number of sources and accompanied by around 20 amazing images which will be distributed as you walk around, this is a walk you’ll remember.

• Saturday 8 September 14.30 to 16.00 (approx)

Meet outside the Rotunda cafe

The Fitness Hub launch: Saturday 28 July on the bowling green in front of the pavilion. Free.

Brighton Pride: Saturday 4 August. The event will be longer than one day this year – details to follow. But on Saturday your Friends of Preston Park committee will, for the first time, be hosting a stall at the event.

Mayor’s Big Tidy-up: Thursday, 9 August 11am to 4pm near the Chalet cafe. Free, no need to book. A family-orientated event featuring a silent disco (it’s huge fun), children’s litter-themed stone painting (materials provided) as well as Mayoral involvement in drawing attention to keeping the park litter-free.

An Illustrated History of Preston Park walk: Saturday 8 September 2.30pm, meet outside the Rotunda cafe. Part of Heritage Open Days. Free, no need to book, takes about an hour.

A Tour of the Rock Garden: With Andy Jeavons, Saturday 8 September (and 2 other dates TBC) details of the meeting time and place TBC.

Bat walk: This took place last month; attendees were led by Sussex Wildlife expert Huw Morgan. A beautiful, still evening – just right for bats. Everyone had a good time apparently, and Huw was very informative. But there were no bats! Very disappointing. But thank you Huw.

Tree walk: Luckily there were a large number of trees available for Alister Peters’ and Peter Bourne’s very excellent tree walk. About 50 people attended and were fascinated by the richness of our arboricultural treasures in the park. Thank you Peter and Alister.

Preston Village Open Day: This happened to coincide with the England-Panama match (score 6-1 as if you could forget). We were kept up to date with the match by the roars coming from the local pub. The event was well-attended and everyone had an exceptionally happy time – which is what we were aiming for. And there was no rain!