Friends of Preston Park

Artist Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva has been working to transform this Preston Twin elm tree into a major new artwork. She informs us that she has been asked to move the tree from its temporary home in Kemptown, so have had to stop working on it, take down the scaffolding and wrap the tree as best they can with plastic sheeting to protect it from the weather. Unfortunately, as they’ve been trying to dry the tree for over 4 months, this is extremely challenging. The moisture levels inside the timber are the hardest issue for the preservation process – so it’s devastating to uncover the tree while it is relocated. But, the GREAT news is that the tree is being moved back to her original location, next to its Twin Sister in Preston Park, and will be enjoyed by many more people as they continue to work on it.

Great work again this morning, with volunteers busy planting up the cherry blossom trees. They are just coming into bud if you look very carefully.

Easter Egg Hunt: Sunday 17th April, 10.30 – 14.00, near the Chalet Cafe

After two years’ absence due to COVID restrictions, we are bringing back our popular annual Easter event. Accompanied children aged 12 and under are invited to track down the answers to questions about the fauna, flora and history of Preston Park in order to earn themselves a cream egg. They can also participate in a drawing competition with the chance to win a giant egg. Face painters will also be available. The cost per child is just £1. We’re looking forward to a lovely, happy event – just what we need at the moment!

You can register for this event but we will also be pleased to welcome anyone who turns up on the day!

I’m Sharon. I’ve been a volunteer at Preston Park for a couple of years, so not as long as some people, but what inspired me about volunteering at the Park was probably at the beginning of Covid when I noticed how quickly the Rose Garden in particular was overgrown, as volunteers were not allowed to work it because of lockdown.

I had a conversation with Andy, Preston Park garden manager, and he welcomed me to join the volunteer group once the easing of restrictions allowed. The weeds were over our heads in the Rose Garden and we started on the mammoth task of tackling the weeds.

At the time there was only a handful of us who were allowed to work, with only one person on each rose bed because of the rule of six, so it was hard but we persevered and I gained a huge sense of satisfaction thinking that we were making a difference to our well-loved Park.

I use the Park every day and I wanted it to look nice and the roses to be in good shape for everybody to enjoy.

I think some of the things I’ve enjoyed the most are the conversations and the laughs I’ve had with other volunteers. It’s a joyful, uplifting experience. I tend to suffer with mental health, depression and anxiety, particularly in the winter months and it has lifted me enormously in lots of ways and I love the camaraderie and the good sense that we are doing something together.

I would recommend volunteering at Preston Park to anybody, any age, to love and join our merry throng. Now we have a big group of people who come out regularly even in the winter. Even if it is overcast and miserable, we get out here if we can and it is a joy.

The first 11 trees for our new Cherry Blossom Walk have been planted today by our volunteer gardeners. There are another 50 to go but our project is finally under way. Well done to all the team!

Hello, I’m Mark. I’ve been volunteering at Preston Park since the Spring of 2021. I initially came to do it as a friend and neighbour asked me if I was interested and to begin
with I wasn’t sure whether I would want to do it or not but I was really glad I did it, and
from day one I enjoyed it a lot.

I think what I’ve gained is a sense of productivity, of actually achieving something in
this difficult time (Covid) and also working with all the other volunteers. A lot of the
great moments have been seeing the development of the Rose Garden and also many
people who walk through the park have come over to say thank you and how much
they love the roses and appreciate what we are doing.

I would definitely recommend volunteering at Preston Park to anybody who is thinking
about doing it, any time you can spare is valuable.