Friends of Preston Park

We are delighted to announce The Rose Garden Community Book Swap Box for adults is back in place 📚📖 Please feel free to come and swap books

We hope to have a children’s version in place shortly.

The Friends of Preston Park volunteers had some extra gardening help in the Rose Garden this week. Staff members from the Stantec engineering company came to lend a hand as part of their commitment to giving back to the community. The Rose Garden has been entered in this year’s South & Southeast in Bloom competition and we greatly appreciate the help given by all those who come to help out. 

Please check out the FoPP website if you also want to help out in the garden. 

We are forewarning residents that on 2 July, the panels for the Changing Places will be installed. This is quite a complex process, and residents need to be aware of the movement of heavy vehicles in the park on that day. The vehicles will enter the park at the north entrance opposite Preston Bowls Club at approximately 7am.

a. They will then make their way slowly down the path running adjacent to Preston Road.
b. An escort vehicle and banksmen will accompany the vehicles directing pedestrian traffic.
c. When level with the Rotunda Café, the unit will be transferred from the articulated lorry on to the HIAB (lorry with a crane).
d. The HIAB lorry will then take the modular unit across the lawns, through the middle of the transport compound, across the path, skirt the edges of the roses, and deliver it to the site.
e. The HIAB will return to the path running adjacent to Preston Road back through the middle of the transport compound.
f. The second modular unit destined for St Ann’s Well Gardens will then be transferred from the articulated lorry to the HIAB.
g. The vehicles will then exit the park at the south end on to Stanford Avenue.

Please be aware that this work will take time to complete, and residents need to take care while in the area. It is envisaged that work on the toilets should be complete by the end of August.

We are eagerly looking forward to the Amphibian Workshop for adults on 22 and 23 June. Please note the venue for both days is different:

On Saturday 22 June, please meet at St Peter’s Cricket Club near the Velodrome at 1.00pm

On Sunday 23 June, please meet at Chalet Cafe at 10:00am to walk over to the Wild Pond.

Sadly, last night, Preston Park was once again targeted by vandals. Some of our cherry tree avenue was smashed, with 6 trees snapped off. Whilst we are very angry and upset, we are adamant that we will replace these trees somehow. We will also look into providing more protection for them. We will keep those interested updated.

As many of you already know, we have entered Preston Park’s Rose Garden into this year’s South & South East in Bloom competition. Work is continuing as we try to get the garden ready. Lucky for us, we have had a lot of eager volunteers turn up to help, including Pavilion Green candidate Sian Berry!

However, we still need all hands in deck to get it shipshape before the judges arrive on 27 June.

Therefore, other than the usual Tuesday volunteer gardening session, 10.00-13.00, we are putting on a few extra sessions that we are hoping anyone interested will turn up to. These will include Thursday and Friday, 10.00-12.00. (So, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 25 June).

Please bring your own gloves and any tools that you have. We will try to provide those who don’t have any, with tools. Also bring snacks, water and sunscreen.

We will start each session in the Rose Garden with a discussion on what is the priority. Please don’t feel this is a set commitment. Just turn up and do an hour if that is all you can do! We appreciate it and so do the roses!

Friends of Preston Park held their latest Painting in the Park event this week. Those attending produced a variety of work. The aim of the day is to invite residents to take time out of their usual weekend, to visit the park, and to focus on a particular aspect that they find interesting. They then have to produce this visually. At the end of the session, everyone shared their thoughts on what had been accomplished over a piece of delicious cake. It’s amazing how different everyone’s work is. We thank everyone who came and hope you all enjoyed a relaxed Sunday in the park. The work produced will be exhibited on the outside wall of the Chalet Cafe for viewing. 

Our next event is the adults amphibian workshop on 22 & 23 June. Please sign up via Eventbrite.

Pictures by Leah Georgiades

This morning a wildlife workshop event was run by Froglife, experts in natural habitats (www.froglife.org). It provided the children with an introduction to amphibians, reptiles & their habitats which included designing your own wildlife garden and followed by the practical activity of guided pond dipping in the Rotunda pond.

We all had a really wonderful time – We enjoyed trying to guess the amphibians and reptiles, we designed wildlife friendly gardens and had fun pond dipping. And yes, we found common newts, ramshorn snails, freshwater hoglouse to name but a few.

Many thanks to Will from Frogslife for the wonderful session. I think both adults and children learned a lot.

We also run the first of our extra sessions in the Rose Garden, tackling the weeds. Please join us on Tuesdays (10 to 1pm), Thursdays and Fridays (10 to 12). The Thursdays and Fridays sessions run until June 25th. The Rose Garden needs you!

Work will get underway in the next few weeks on a scheme to improve the A23 (London Road / Preston Road) between Argyle Road and Preston Drove.
The changes are designed to improve a key transport corridor for the city and make it a safer and more attractive environment for all who use it.
The work getting underway shortly will include:
new cycle lanes
pavement widening
new and upgraded crossings
improved junctions
bus stop improvements
The work is expected to take 18 months to complete. Everything possible will be done to minimise disruption throughout. During that time the area on the old bowling green opposite WhoopseyDaisy, will used as a base for all the heavy plant machinery.
If you have any questions about the A23 Active Travel Scheme, send an email to transport.projects@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

Timeline
Aims of the A23 Active Travel Scheme
The A23 Active Travel Scheme aims to improve a key transport corridor for the city and make it a safer and more attractive environment for all who use it.
On completion, the finished scheme will:
enable and encourage active and inclusive travel such as walking, cycling and wheeling through new and updated infrastructure
improve the overall experience for public transport users
upgrade key junctions and improve road safety for all users
improve access to green spaces, heritage attractions and leisure locations situated along the A23.