Friends of Preston Park

This week, the FoPP held its final Painting-in-the Park event for the year. Luckily, the sun shone brightly and attendees were able to concentrate on their subjects and not bother about rain. We had some excellent art works of the park and anyone interested will be able to view the work on the Chalet Cafe wall. We thank everyone who came and encourage anyone who would like to do this to join us once again next year. Just keep any eye on events on our website in spring. 

Our next event will be the bat walk with Nick Lane (a change from Emma Keane who can no longer make that date) on Thursday, 28 September. Please go to Eventbrite to book tickets. Please note that whilst the event is wheelchair accessible there may be areas that have tree roots, etc.. We will ask for donations at the end.

A reminder that Painting in the Park will be taking place on Sunday 3rd September at 10am at the Chalet Cafe. Book your place on Eventbrite here.

You are invited to come along with your medium of choice and to set up and make a piece of art in three hours.

Participants meet back at the FoPP gazebo at 13.00 to display their work and discuss the final outcomes over a piece of cake. Everyone aged 16 and over is welcome. Donations will be requested at the end of the event.

Please see below from Sue Shepherd:

CPRE Sussex is hosting a Countryside Day Out at the Knepp Estate on Saturday, 2 September. This is an exciting opportunity to explore the home of Sussex rewilding and 
help us celebrate our 50^th anniversary.  There will be talks, tours and a dedicated kid’s activity area. 

Find out more at:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cpre-sussex-countryside-day-tickets-525450826567. 

Alan Griffiths, Operations Manager for CityParks North, led a group of enthusiasts through Preston Park this week, sharing his 46 years of experience working for Brighton and Hove City Council and explaining the horticultural development of the park over the last fifty years.

Sustainability and maintenance are paramount nowadays and we can see many examples of how the park has adapted to new challenges. In the Rose Garden the David Austin English style roses are chosen for their longer flowering season and their beautiful scent. Whilst, the herbaceous borders are planted with native species which attract insects and butterflies and bulbs have replaced summer flower beds along the London Road.

We marvelled at species which, due to a milder climate, are growing in the park such as agapanthus, and admired the centenarian elm trees. We also learnt many new evocative tree names such as the paperbark maple tree, the weeping elm, the fruiting quince, and the wedding cake viburnum.

The beauty of the park for Alan is that it offers something different to look for and see everyday of the year, and it is a much loved and used space by  both the local community and visiting tourists.

Alan praised the work of the volunteers who assist CityParks gardeners in maintaining the flower beds and the Rose Garden, and without whom there would be far fewer flowers in the park. Anyone wishing to join our volunteer groups can do so on our website. 

Our next event is Painting-in-the-Park on Sunday, 3 September. Please sign up to this event via Eventbrite. The event will be based around the park and should be wheelchair accessible, but the ground is uneven. Please bring your own materials. Donations will be requested at the end.

 ‘An Illustrated History of Preston Park’ on Saturday 26 August at 2.30pm in St Peters, Preston Park

‘Wildflower Conservation’ with George Harris and Lindy Brooke Tweed on Saturday 9 September at 2.30pm also in St Peter’s.

Entrance free, donations to St Peter’s LightUp campaign.

Please see below on behalf of Sue Shepherd:

The talk ‘Preston Manor and its gardens’ will be taking place tomorrow (Saturday 12 August) at 2pm in St Peter’s Church, Preston Park. 

It will be given by Paula Wrightson, who is an expert on the history and tales of the Manor, and Rob Boyle who is Head Gardener for the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust.

Former Cityparks manager, Alan Griffiths is returning once again to Preston Park to share his thoughts on our beautiful green space on Thursday 17th August at 6.00-7.30pm.

Please join us and gain some insight into the workings of a park from the perspective of those who work hard to maintain it. We will be walking around the park and although it should be wheelchair accessible, please note that the ground is uneven. Donations will be requested at the end.

Sign up on Eventbrite below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/preston-park-walk-with-alan-griffths-tickets-660519781447?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Elm disease has been discovered in the Prestonville area, meaning the city’s historic collection of trees is at risk of dying.

Residents are being asked to stop bringing elm logs into the area.

Please see the below article for further information:

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/23681796.log-warning-brighton-elm-trees-chopped/

Preston Park has once again been awarded the Green Flag Award. The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces. Introduced in 1996, and first awarded in 1997, the award aims to establish agreed standards of good management, which in turn, helps to justify and evaluate funding and raise park attendance.  

The owners of spaces that wish to hold the accreditation, pay a fee to be assessed by volunteer judges on an annual basis with a process involving secret shoppers and inspection of both the park and the owner’s management plans. The aspects that spaces are judged on are: 

1. A Welcoming Place
2. Healthy, Safe and Secure
3. Well Maintained and Clean
4. Environmental Management
5. Biodiversity, Landscape and Heritage
6. Community Involvement
7. Marketing and Communication
8. Management

We look forward to seeing the new flag flying in the park soon.

On a rainy afternoon this week, over 20 people were led by Alister Peters, expert arborist, on a very interesting and enjoyable walk around many of the different trees in Preston Park.

Much of Brighton has chalky soils on which some trees can struggle to survive, but Preston Park is in a valley with better soils, enabling a wide variety of trees to flourish. Whilst, you will find familiar trees such as the beech (common and copper), London plane, lime, English oak, chestnut (horse and sweet), sycamore and several species of elm, there are also trees that are less common in this country, such as the sequoia, various species of maple, ginkgo, walnut, Hungarian and Turkey oaks, and Indian bean tree, to name just some of them. The last, (as shown in the photo), was in flower. Some of the other trees have beautiful flowers earlier in the year or particularly attractive foliage in the autumn.

It is comforting to know that such a large variety ensures and that we will continue to have many wonderful trees in Preston Park despite the threats presented by diseases such as ash dieback and elm disease. 

Our next walk will be on Thursday, 17 August and will be curated by Alan Griffiths, former CityParks manager.

To attend this walk, please sign up to Eventbrite. The event should be wheelchair accessible but please note that as it will be held in the park, the ground may be uneven. Donations will be requested at the end.