Friends of Preston Park

Our series of park walks for 2016 is well under way but the following walks are still to come. Each is led by a park expert.

Thurs 2 June
Trees of Preston Park. Meet 6.30pm at the Rotunda.

Weds 8 June
Greater Park Walk. Meet 6.30pm at the Rotunda.

Thurs 30 June
Rock Garden Walk. Meet 6.30pm at the Rock Garden.

Sat 2 July
History of Preston Park Walk. Meet 11am at the Rotunda.

Tues 26 July
Rock Garden Walk. Meet 6.30pm at the Rock Garden.

Sun 14 August
Rock Garden Walk. Meet 12 noon at the Rock Garden.

This is a free family event.

Come and enjoy the beautiful house and grounds of Preston Manor. The Manor will be offering free admission and a chance to see their witchcraft display.

Discover the exciting results of the park’s archaeological survey. See a dig in progress. Examine ancient artefacts from the area.

Visit the St Peter’s, Preston Park Grand Sale of cakes, books, plants and bric-a-brac, along with churchyard tours arranged by St Peter’s churchyard volunteers.

Take the chance to try croquet free of charge and treat yourself to a cream tea.

Take one of the tours of the Walled Garden where there will be a sale of plants and savoury foods. The beekeeper will exhibit the beehives in the garden.

Challenge yourself with a quiz about the local area from the Friends of Preston Park.

Attached are the minutes of the latest committee meeting.

FoPP minutes 4 May 2016

Well, it’s not really a hunt – it’s a quiz! And it’s for all (accompanied) children aged 12 or under. The date is Sunday 27 March – Easter Day – from 11am to around 2.30pm. Just turn up at any point between those times. We’ll be by the men’s bowls pavilion – look out for the marquee.

For £1, we’ll be handing out sheets on which there’ll be questions about the history, architecture, flora and fauna of the park. Answers will be found on special information posts around the park. Correctly completed sheets will win a Cadbury’s crème egg. (We’re not too fussy about number of questions completed if the child is very young!)

There’s also a chance for children to draw a picture showing something in the park – we supply materials – and possibly win a special prize! There will be face painting too – just £3. The idea of the event is primarily to have fun (and a bit of exercise), but also for children to learn something about our lovely park.

Volunteers in the Walled Garden are busy planting and preparing for a beautiful, flowery Spring. Here some of them are planting box borders under the pergola.

The pond in the garden is still causing a leaky problem. Estimates are currently being sought to price up a thorough refurb of the pond lining.

A few days ago more intensive surveying was carried out to the east of the park, where some ‘interesting blips’ on the previous survey was felt to need further investigation. This last survey is four times as penetrating and should show whether or not the blips are something to get excited about! The picture shows the team marking out the area.

We’re very pleased and relieved to hear that our Park Ranger’s job has been saved. Thank you to those who supported the retention of these vital roles, and to the council for listening to the objections and changing their position. Our Park Ranger, Emma Keane, works closely with committee members and provides a lot of support – especially at our events.

The southeast side of the park, by the Rose Garden, has had a massive haircut! This is to keep things neat and for ease of maintenance.

And the new railings have arrived to be fitted around the cycle track …