Friends of Preston Park

The Wild Flower Conservation Society in Stanmer Park are having a Wildflower Plant Sale on Sunday 12th October from 11am – 3pm.Now is a great time to plant wild flowers – the soil is still warm and it will give the plants a head-start for Spring 2026!They have a wide selection of plants for £2 each and limited supplies of yellow rattle seed which is only £2 for 1,000 seeds.

In September, twenty-four Brighton College students from Year 8 to L6 helped the regular volunteers in the Rose Garden. The students weeded, cut back ivy and cleared the paths diligently, scraping the stones, pulling weeds and brushing the walkways with large brooms. Their involvement and hard work were all the more appreciated as the tasks in the Rose Garden are numerous. It is not the first time students from the prestigious establishment have given a helping hand and we are always delighted to spend a few hours working alongside such a kind and pleasant group of young people. We are hopeful they will come again soon. Any other school interested in helping us out should get in contact via the website. 

It has been a busy summer and you can read our news are on the website www.friendsofprestonpark.org.Our next walk in Preston Park will be the History Walk on Sunday 5th October, 14.30-16.00 with Sue Shepherd. Starting at the Rotunda Café. Anyone interested in coming along to hear more about the history of the park can sign and pay on the FoPP website: http://friendsofprestonpark.org Please note that although the walk is around the park, the land is not level and may be of some concern for wheelchair users.

Our very popular wreath making event takes place on Saturday 6th December, 9.00 to 15.00. To secure a place please sign and pay on the FoPP website: http://friendsofprestonpark.org. The day is divided in 45 minute slots to accommodate everyone so make sure you indicate which session you would like to do.

We are delighted to see that the Book Box in the Rose Garden is very much used by hundreds of visitors each week, but due to repeated acts of vandalism there are plans to move the book box inside the Rotunda Cafe, where it will be safe.

On a beautiful summers day, Alister Peters took 26 people on a tree walk around Preston Park. We started at the Rotunda by the largest Elm tree in the park and ended at the northern end of the park by Preston manor by the oldest Elm tree in the country. Alister knows the trees in the park well having worked for many years for Connick. This invaluable local knowledge made the tour absolutely fascinating. I had no idea just how many varieties of Elm there were and how different they all are.
Alister also gave the walkers some sage advice about selecting a tree for one’s own garden. 
FoPP would like to thank Alister for sharing his knowledge and making the tour so interesting. 
I would unhesitatingly go on the tour again and would highly recommend it to anyone else. 
Sarah Mackenzie

In August our FoPP volunteers were pleased to welcome a group from the Network of International Women for Brighton & Hove to visit Preston Park. As part of their Healthy Living Programme the Network organises short weekly walks in the local area for interested members.  

We led the group on a walking tour around the park, taking in as many of its beautiful and unique features as possible. The individuals in the  group had previously visited the park but were fascinated to visit some completely unfamiliar pockets of interest. In particular we spent time inside the 13^th century St Peter’s Church, enjoyed greatly by the group. we wandered through the plant beds, the Preston Manor walled garden and amongst new and ancient trees. The group also observed the huge range of sports and activities with facilities throughout the park. Unfortunately there was insufficient time to try out the adult gym! 

Picture 1

The group returned to the rose garden in time to join the FOPP volunteers for their tea & coffee break in The Rotunda Cafe. There was much chat about our gardening practices throughout the park, and a real fascination for the roses, particularly the traditional English varieties.  

Picture 2

Several of the group expressed interest in volunteer gardening and we look forward to them joining our FoPP volunteer groups around the park.   

Brighton & Hove residents were given an insight into parks of old last week, when FoPP welcomed back former CityParks Operations Manager, Alan Griffiths. Now retired, Alan kindly came along to explain the many ways that Preston Park and other green spaces around the city were run, prior to becoming a unitary council. It was fascinating to hear about the many gardeners, trained by the council at its own facilities, used to be on hand in our various parks. Alan was also able to explain how many of the plants and trees, including roses, were grown at the council-run Stanmer nurseries and transplanted to the parks for seasonal display. Unfortunately, with the loss of these facilities, there is a lack of resources and trained gardeners to do this now. However, Alan was quick to point out that the Preston Park volunteers are doing a great job keeping things going alongside the remaining CityParks staff. He also noted that seasonal planting is no longer such a sustainable option in this day and age and changing weather patterns.

Another important job of former days for Alan and his fellow garderners, was to prepare the bowling greens, mowing them in the early morning in preparation for the busy day of bowls ahead. Straight lines were mowed, and the grass was cut to specifically short levels to keep the bowls moving. Now that the game has lost popularity, the old greens are finding new uses, and it is hoped that the flower meadow will return soon to delight residents as once before.

Alan also explained how the arboreal team work hard to check on all our trees within the park and elsewhere, making sure they are healthy and not posing a risk of injury whilst we enjoy basking in their shade.

Alongside our many elms, Preston Park has a great variety of tree species and Alan was keen to show us the very beautiful Acer Griseum that we have on within the triangle on the west side of the park just after the tennis courts. This paper-bark maple has an extraordinary colour and is worth checking out if you haven’t noticed it before.

Alan’s walks are great if you don’t know the history of the Brighton & Hove greens spaces too well, and he is keen to reminisce about his days learning the trade of expert gardener before he became a CityParks manager. We hope he will join us again next year, so if you missed it this time, don’t worry, there is always next year!

FoPP’s next walk will be with Sue Shepherd on 5 October. Sue will be giving us a history tour of the park so be prepared for a walk around. Although the park is fairly flat, please be aware that part of the walk will be across the grass so it may be a bit bumpy for wheelchair users.

We are looking forward to the FOPP Park Walk with Alan Griffiths on 11 September at 6pm

Please book your tickets here

Volunteers looking after green spaces in Brighton and Hove were invited by their Rangers at Waterhall to meet Paul Gorringe, who is in charge of the local rewilding programme. 

Waterhall was a golf course for seventy years and over the past four years the aim has been to restore the chalk grassland and improve habitats for multiple species. This project has been funded by National Lottery money and is led by the National Trust. No power tools are used, no pesticides, the work is done following the precepts of organic gardening. Multi-species grazing is done by twenty Sussex Red cattle, seven wild ponies and sheep are also brought in. Rangers Paul and Mike are helped by zealous volunteers who cut, clear, restore and encourage natural processes for the landscape to recover and reconnect with itself.

We looked at a large variety of moths collected (and released), wildflowers and ant hills. Paul and Mike run educational programmes for school children and are very keen to educate and show the importance of wild spaces in our lives. On this note we were reminded that we should keep our dogs on lead during the breeding season which runs from beginning of March to end of July as dogs run into thickets and bushes and disturb nesting and young wildlife. From a thousand dogs a day visiting Waterhall four years ago, numbers are down to two-hundred-and-fifty a day. Paul explained various reasons why dogs’ behaviour should be monitored by their owners, such as the presence of cattle, school children, wildlife habitat and even the preservation of the ph of the soil which is altered by dogs’urine and excrement! As Paul said, most dog owners are obliging, but some abuse the Rangers or take signage down, not considering that this rewilding project is very fragile and reliant on everybody’s decent behaviour to be a truly successful story and a legacy for future generations.

Paul Gorringe is always looking for new volunteers so if you would like to know more about volunteering at Waterhall please get in touch with him at wildingwaterhall@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Friends of Preston Park next walk is the General Tree Walk with Alister Peters on Saturday 9 August, 13:00-14:30, starting at the Rotunda Cafe. Not to be missed! Book now on our website.

If you are keen to try some gardening in Preston Park we welcome volunteers on Tuesdays 10 to 1pm in the Rose Garden or on Thursdays 10 to 1pm in the Rockery. Please come along and meet the teams.

The Cherry tree that was vandalised earlier in the spring, only one week after planting, has been replaced. Whilst we realise this is not a good time to plant a young tree, the timing of receiving the replacement went awry. The tree is now in place and the snapped tree has joined the other vandalised trees near the Chalet Café. We aim to keep them all watered over the summer months and if anyone would like to help with this, can they contact FoPP via our website.

Many thanks to Kez and his team for all their help in getting the trees out and in the ground. Great work!