The new Changing Places toilet in Preston Park will open on Thursday, 31st October. The toilet has a hoist, adjustable changing bench, and height adjustable sink. It is designed for people who are unable to use a standard accessible toilet who require the assistance of a carer or multiple carers. The site will be accessible by the use of a RADAR key. (A RADAR key is used to access accessible toilets across the country. BHCC do provide RADAR keys for free to Brighton & Hove residents if they are eligible. All they need to do is follow the link https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/libraries-leisure-and-arts/public-toilets/apply-radar-key where they can complete a form and return it to us. Alternatively, people can buy a RADAR key from https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/) It will operate during standard public toilet opening hours (10am-4pm during the winter, 10am-6pm during the summer). The site will be locked outside of these hours. The introduction of this Changing Places toilet will increase the accessibility of Preston Park and allow more people to enjoy the city’s green spaces.
Friends of Preston Park entered the Rose Garden into the South and South East in Bloom 2024 competition and we are delighted to announce that the Rose Garden was awarded Level 4 – “Thriving” in the “It’s Your Neighbourhood” category. With 4,500 entries participating nationwide and over 300 locally this was a very tough competition and as it was the first time we entered the Rose Garden we can honestly say we are absolutely bowled over with this wonderful achievement. We would like to thank all who contributed to this success; individuals and local businesses who gave us funds to buy tools and plants, David Austin the Rose Grower who donated roses, CityParks for mulch in the winter, our amazing team of volunteers who every Tuesday weed and lovingly tend the plants, and all the residents who enjoy the garden responsibly.
We are hoping to enter the Rose Garden into SSEIB again in 2025 and aim at achieving the highest level, Level 5 – Outstanding, following the advice we were given for improvement. We need to improve the soil of the Rose Garden with some new soil and fertiliser and also tend the herbaceous borders. The volunteers are very keen to replant the East and West borders alongside the Rose Garden, which have been neglected for years. It is a mammoth task, which we started in spring and you may have noticed the new salvias and fuchsias among other plants.
Many thanks to Huw Morgan from Sussex Wildlife Trust for coming to Preston Park this week to give us some insight into the world of the Pipistrelle bats that like to hang out around various areas of the park. The weather managed to do the right thing and not rain, and we had some lovely evening light to start us off with.
Huw explained the process of using a bat detector and we were soon able to pick up the amazing ultrasonic vocalisations that the bats were giving out as they picked up on their evening snack of flying insects. Different bat species have a different sound pattern, and bats also make different noises depending on what they are doing ie they make different sounds when hunting as opposed to when they are looking for a mate. It was also fascinating to learn that bats are currently in the mating season, but that the females are able to put off pregnancy until May when there is more food availability.
Even once it got dark, we were able to enjoy the sounds and exciting flight displays as the bats zig-zagged over our heads! An enjoyable evening for all ages! For further information on bats, please go to either the Sussex Wildlife Trust website or the Sussex Bat Group.
Our next walk will be Sue Shepherd’s History of Preston Park Walk on Sunday 17th of November, starting at the Rotunda Café at 14.30. Please sign up via Eventbrite. There will be quite a lot of walking around the park which is fairly flat and wheelchair accessible, but please be aware of tree roots, etc..
West Sussex & Brighton & Hove Age UK have opened a new hub in Brighton & Hove. Situated on 95 Queens Road, near Brighton Station, it is hoped the new hub will provide the older population in the city with better information and advice, including money advice, cost of living, fitness tips and how to stay safe from scams and more! Residents can pop in anytime on weekdays from 9.30 until 16.00. For more information, please go to: https://linktr.ee/aukwsbh_brightonhove or contact them at: www.ageukwsbh.org.uk or 0800019 1310
Please note that The Ride, on the southern end of Preston Park will be resurfaced and lines re-marked from 8am on Wednesday 25th September until 5pm on Friday 27th September. The Ride will be closed during this period.
We are very excited and pleased to let you know that The Gilded Elm (2023) has been shortlisted for the 2024 PSSA Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture – alongside works by Larry Achiampong & David Blandy, Nick Hornby, Tom Shaw and Yinka Shonibare CBE RA.
Please VOTE at the following website by scrolling to the bottom of the page https://pssauk.org/awards/
To read more about The Gilded Elm please visit https://elpidahv.art/works/the-gilded-elm/
The project has been funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, South Downs National Park Authority, Pride Social Impact Fund, Jeremy Knights & Co and supported by Brighton & Hove City Council. Critical support has also been received by several businesses, the most important of which are Brewers Decorators Centres, Repair Care, Connick Tree Care, Amazon Access Solutions, Gold Leaf Supplies, DP Squared Ltd, the artists agency and Yates.
Friends of Preston Park (FoPP) were pleased to welcome back Alan Griffiths for what has become an annual walk around the park sharing his in-depth knowledge of the horticultural history of Preston Park, captured over 40 years in his capacity as Operations Manager (his final role for CityParks).
The gathered group was treated at the outset to a wonderful view of the Rose Garden, still with many blooms, under a low Autumn sun and with a beautifully clear full rainbow to the east. Alan explained the transition of the rose garden planting from the original floribundas and traditional tea roses to the scented shrub roses in proliferation today. The huge contribution from David Austin roses throughout the years and continuing today was much appreciated by the group.
We walked around the formal garden admiring the current blooms and discussing the herbaceous beds along the borders. During Alan’s early years at CityParks there was an entire team of gardeners for the Rose Garden and a dedicated head gardener keeping the borders weed-free and the significant yew hedges perfectly trimmed. Our FOPP team talked the group through our upcoming plans to clear the borders and replace weeds with plants from our new propagating bench.
As the walk continued towards the tennis courts Alan told us about the grandeur of the bowling matches in Preston Park and reminisced about arriving very early in the morning to mow the greens in preparation. He indicated the layout of the five bowling greens and the separate changing pavilions for gentlemen and lady players! These are currently used by the FitnessHub gym and Woopsadaisy.
The group was very interested to hear about the use of the Winterbourne underground stream to water the park over the years, particularly in feeding the Rotunda pond. Alan pointed out the positions of the spring and the pumping gear.
Alan described the range of trees planted along the western edge of the park, selected and grown in the Stanmer nurseries and watered in from a truck carrying the stream water. We admired the newly planted UTFC trees, particularly the hawthorn currently laden with berries, which complement the existing varieties and are replacing some trees lost to elm disease and ash dieback. These trees are watered more efficiently these days with the aid of plastic water bags attached to their lower trunks.
The walk finished, as the sun set behind The Rockery with Alan reminding us how the remaining twin elm has observed centuries of development and change in the park, including the transition of its twin into its present gold and black statuesque form.
