Friends of Preston Park

Bring along your own home-made lantern and we’ll take an evening walk around the park to show it off and banish those ogres and witches.

If you want, you can come in fancy dress. We’ll give a prize for the best lantern and a prize for the best fancy dress.

Meet at the Ladies Bowls pavilion (next to the Rotunda) in Preston Park. We’ll provide light refreshments, hot drinks and activities.

If you can, let us know beforehand that you want to come using our contact form or by emailing us at info@friendsofprestonpark.org.

Our first AGM was held on 13th September. The Chairman’s report and minutes can be downloaded below:

Chair’s Report Sept 2011 (PDF)

Minutes 13th September 2011 (PDF)

At the AGM on 13 September 2011, Joe McNulty joined the committee in the role of fundraiser and sponsorship. At the same time, Tim Lunnon (left, looking particularly smart) reluctantly stood down because of new work commitments. Tim made a valuable contribution to the work of the committee in its first year, particularly promoting links with the wide range of sports clubs that use the park. The committee thank Tim for all of his support and look forward to seeing him as a ‘Friend’ at future public meetings and events.

 

Brighton and Hove City Council has published proposals for tackling parking problems in and about the park. These proposals have come about as a result of resident and park users’ feedback and they want you to have a say. The proposals in brief are to:

• Create off-street parking areas to limit parking in the park to two designated areas, known as The Gallops and The Ride and shown in the information leaflet plan in red.
• Allow access to designated disabled parking bays close to the picnic area and central pathway (marked on the plan) for Blue Badge Holders only.
• Prevent non park users parking all day by restricting parking to a maximum of four hours in the park.
• Increase the length of stay for on street parking to 11 hours in the southern section of Preston Park Avenue (south of the existing loading bay).
• Introduce a parking charge lower than the on street parking charge to fund and maintain the proposed scheme. If an income is generated this will be reserved for improvements to Preston Park.

You can give us your views in person by visiting the Chalet Café September 01-14 or the Rotunda Café September 16-30 if you prefer to complete a survey on paper, and either return it using the box on site or a prepaid reply envelope by the 30 September 2011.

If you prefer to speak to council representatives then they are holding an exhibition at Preston Park Men’s Bowls Pavilion on Thursday 15 September 2011 between 2.00pm and 6.30pm.

You can also give your views by filling in the survey online.

Thanks to Mark Nelson of First Light Studios, Nile Street, Brighton, for many of these photos.

Click on the button in the bottom-right corner of the slide how to see the photos full screen.

Silent grass sweeps under foot
with soothing quiet brush.
Artist strokes can not compare
pastel under willow shade

Port wine magnolia floats
her scented summer breeze.
Inside exotic rainbow hue
petals hold the perfect gift.

She flows in blooms above;
honeyed beads on high.
Nectar cups the busy bee,
pollen flies on hasty wings.

Harvest lays its seed to grow
falling to rich earth below.
Darkened loam upon the clay
maker of this tinted day.

Rainbow scented nectar flows
beauty that the earth bestows.
All this coloured lively zest
suckles mother natures breast.

© Jonny Fisher 2011

For Jonny’s new book, A Mariner that sails upon no sea, contact him on Thundergroundpub@aol.com.

Join Harvest for their annual local food picnic in Preston Park. There’ll be local food on sale, cookery demonstrations and tasters, seedbomb workshops, local sheep, morris dancers, plus a food swap for your jams, preserves and excess produce at 1pm!

This year the Brighton & Hove Food & Drink Festival also brings you a whole new sport: Sussex Cheese Bowling! Presented in conjunction with High Weald Dairy, we challenge you to roll your cheese for Brighton!

Cheese Bowling is sponsored by Natural PR and The Southern Co-operative.

Please register if you would like to be kept informed as further details of this event are confirmed.

Peter is Community Pay-back Supervisor, which involves organising work for groups of up to eight offenders at a time. He often works in Preston Park on Fridays in areas like the cycle velodrome and the Rock Garden as well as the main park.

What do you like about the job?
The variety. I work in a variety of locations and we undertake a variety of work. I work with people from a range of different backgrounds – it can sometimes be challenging.

What contributions have you made to the park?
Well, in about 18 months we’ve painted all the railings, taken the suckers off around 20 elm trees, swept and litter-picked various areas including the velodrome and the parking roads, as well as things like collecting flints from the walls in the velodrome so they can be re-used. The team has cleared the waterfall in the Rock Garden of debris so that it can begin to work again and we’ve done weeding and coppicing.

Best thing about the park?
It’s used so widely by so many different people. Other parks don’t have the same usage that Preston Park has.

Ambitions for the park?
I think the maintenance of the Rock Garden is very important. It is a stunning entrance to the city and contains some important plants.

Thank you Peter!