The wild flowers in the old bowling green are beginning to bloom. Rain’s forecast so that will help to speed things up. They already look good. The beds beside the A23 have been getting many complements too.
The Rotunda Pond
Since the pond has been mended it has teemed with life – tadpoles, newts, frogs, waterboatmen and all sorts of wee creatures. (More plants in special planters will be added soon.) It has been almost impossible to walk over the stepping-stones of the pond without stopping to peer at all the watery activity. Here’s a couple who just couldn’t pass by:
The pond in the Walled Garden . . .
. . . has finally been mended. So the cracks have been filled and the water’s back in. Again, this pond is teeming with life: fish, newts, frogs, beautiful dragonflies . . .
Here’s the pond experts – Pete the Pond, Caroline and Kevin – waiting while the pond fills up:
Pride, Saturday 2 August – noon to 10pm
We’re very pleased that the Pride organisers are keen to involve the Friends of Preston Park in the consideration of park-goers before, during and after the event. We’ll be putting up posters around the park to let people know what’s happening when.
The festival site will start to be erected on Monday 28 July and everything should be off the park by the end of Tuesday 5 August. You can check for up-to-date information on the Pride website on which they’ve created a page for park residents: www.brightonpride.org/residents.
After the event Pride will conduct a feedback session to help minimise future disruption.
BioBlitz Day
Today the Friends of Preston Park were delighted to be involved in the first BioBlitz day, organised by the Sussex Wildlife Trust. About 250 school children participated in a quiz about the flora and fauna of Preston Park. The weather was great and the children had a fantastic time.
Katie Eberstein of the Sussex Wildlife Trust said:
‘Thank you firstly for your help herding children today, and secondly (and most importantly) giving us the idea of using the trail as a starting point. Without this, I think the event may never have happened! We had a wonderful day – 250 happy children all learning new things about their local park. In the feedback, nearly every child said they had discovered some place in the park that they didn’t know before.’
Removing the stones
The old disused bowling green was discovered to be infested with huge stones. So, before the area can be seeded with grass, stones have to be removed, which is what is happening here. Don’t forget to use the Contact Form to let us know what, in your opinion, should be done with this area.
Treatment of the old elms
The Aboricultural (tree) Department of Brighton & Hove council are considering some treatment of the old elms that line the main road. The treatment will make the trees more healthy and will therefore probably prolong their life, but the nature of the treatment will have a big visual impact on the look of the park. So we need your opinion on this important dilemma.
The thought is to aerate the roots of the trees and to then cover the ground underneath the trees with wood chip to help the roots to ‘breathe’. The wood chip area would be large – about the circumference of the canopy of each tree – so the park-like look where these trees are will be lost.
It’s difficult to say how long the trees will last, they are already pretty old. If nothing’s done they might last another 20 – 30 years or so. If they are ‘treated’ they could go on for a lot longer. Here’s a website link about the treatment which is being successfully carried out in Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place.
We have asked the Aboricultural Department to do a trial on one of the trees so that we can see what it will look like. They’ve agreed and will carry out the trial on an elm near the tennis courts. We’ll let you know when this will happen.
Easter Egg Hunt 2014 – winners of the drawing competition
The heavens opened on Easter Sunday, just in time for our Easter Egg Hunt. However, despite the rain, many souls braved the elements to take part. Part of the event was a drawing competition. Winner of the under 8 category is Grace Samuels, age 5. Here she is receiving her prize, with her drawing underneath of the Rotunda Pond featuring the lion’s head:
Winner of the 8 and over category is Hiba Seaton, age 8, seen here with her prize:
Focus on Alan Griffiths
Here he is …
Alan is, deep breath, Operations Manager for CityParks North. It’s a big job. As well as parks in Preston, Patcham, Hollingbury, St Anne’s Wells Garden and the Brighton and Hove cemeteries, he’s responsible for all the green spaces up to Hove Lagoon – that’s all the grass verges, housing estates and so on.
How long have you worked for the parks department?
It will be 38 years this summer. I started as an apprentice straight from school and completed a 3-year apprenticeship. From the mid-1980s to 1992 I was based in Stanmer Nurseries where I was responsible for growing trees and shrubs.
What do you like about your job?
I really enjoy the variety of work and I enjoy dealing with people. There just never seems enough time in the day to concentrate on any one thing. And I’d love to have the chance to work alongside the guys – I miss that. But no two days are the same and all the things that crop up are different and fast-moving. I could be dealing with a complaint about 4
a verge one minute and the next overseeing the sowing of seeds in Preston Park.
What do you like about Preston Park?
I like the fact that there’s something for everyone in the park. And, in every season, there’s something of interest – even in the depths of winter.
What would you want to change about the park?
I’d like to see the park as a car-free area [more about that below]. I’d also like to see more facilities for people – maybe some adult exercise equipment.
What hobbies do you enjoy?
I really like walking and caravanning – I like the West Country and Wales. I have a largish garden and I like working in it. And I enjoy working on my family’s farm.
Thank you for the work you’ve done for our park Alan.
An update on the Rock Garden
The Rock Garden – or Rookery – is looking truly wonderful at the moment. Check out this:
(In the first image, if you look closely, you can just see Andy Jeavons, the Rock Garden’s manager, with one of the volunteers.)
The shrubs, beds, lawns and trees are singing with colour and look beautifully kept. The cascades are now switched on for the summer and the sound of trickling and rushing water adds to the ‘Garden of Eden’ feeling. Thank you to Andy and the volunteers for a stunning display. Apparently some residents decided to give their terrapin a brief outing in the Rock Garden pond. Duh! The terrapin took off, delighted by its huge new ‘home’ and has defied all attempts at capture. It’s been decided to leave it there, it’s not doing any harm and it’s good fun trying to spot it, it’s quite big!
There will be a flurry of activity on 26 and 27 April when a group of students start work at the top of the garden. It’s part of an Albion in the Community project, a National Citizen’s service – akin to the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. They will design, project-manage and create a new look to that part of the garden. They’re hoping to hold a gathering for local residents, with refreshments, to celebrate the achievement on 4 May. More about this nearer the time.
You may have spotted a new notice at the entrances to the garden explaining some of the things you can see:
