Just a brief note to wish all our supporters a great time this yuletide season, and that you might enjoy a good new year, and a thank you, everyone, for your unstinted support this year! Please keep an eye on the events page on the website so you don’t miss anything (though we will put posters on the noticeboards too) 

I think we can say that the park has had a good year with all round improvements.

You might have noticed that, at the end of last year, we put up some rustic oak benches with the help of a volunteer group; Emma organised this – very well done – and Mark contributed the wood, so thanks to both of them!

In the spring, we had a record display of daffodils around the trees on the Havelock side of the park, thanks to the grass-cutting team who left them until the end of spring before mowing the area around the little trees.

Idverde, who are contracted to maintain the park, fulfilled the council’s obligation to replace some of our trees this summer, and put a ‘hippo’ bag for each new tree.

These dark green bags have a gap at the top (and a gap in the mesh protection too) that allow them to be watered – thanks to those people who watered the trees, that were within staggering distance of their houses! It was very beneficial to getting them through the dry spell in good nick.  This year we have a new parks officer at idverde, Caroll Long, that you might meet in our park, she’s got lots of knowledge and enthusiasm, so it’s going to be great to work with her!

This year’s Big Lunch was very enjoyable, and lots of thanks go to Rebecca and Michelle for organising it – the cakes were as delicious as always! Unfortunately there was too much wind for the hot air balloon to take off, but I noticed that most of the men were standing around it chatting for ages, whilst being regaled by stories of ballooning derring-do!

In the school summer holidays we held our BirdBox and Bug hunting day, and a new family picnic days, both of which the weather behaved and we all had a good time.

From the bug hunting: a wool carder bee, a gatekeeper butterfly, and some people on the bug hunt!

We held another Hoedown in September, but on review, we are not sure that September is a good time to hold an event? Anyway, we will be re-thinking our events, and perhaps concentrating more on the Big Lunch and summer events, as this has not proved very practical for making the necessary arrangements during the summer.  However, if you want to help and have your say on our decisions, all our committee meetings are open and we would be thrilled to see any of you!

Finally, just the other week, we have some more new trees – a little min-coppice of pine trees in the ESE corner near the green lane (to Waldo Road Waste Transfer station!).  These will look really fabulous in coming years, and it’s great that they’ve been planted at such a good time of year, so they can put some roots down before the park dries out in the summer! Apparently these were planned in November 2016, so it’s great to see them!

Wishing you all the best in the new year,

Emma, Kerry, and your committee.