Park Cricket – an instant hit at Mayow

This post was sent in by Alex Nisbett.. Thank you Alex,

One more reason to love Mayow Park. This past week I took my two children along to Mayow to enjoy a few hours of professional cricket coaching from the wonderful people at Teachsport, who I understand, are in collaboration with Glendale to put Cricket firmly back on the map in SE26.

Banners went up around the park only a few weeks ago, cricket would  beplayed each day for a week from 11-3pm, and it seemed the perfect summer holiday solution for my 10 year old lad, who plays cricket at school but could do with some more guidance, and his 8 year old sister who’s never played before, and wants to do whatever her big brother does.

Along with another 8 or so local children of mixed ages and abilities, they enjoyed a great day’s batting, catching, bowling and general running around in a very friendly and often competitive atmosphere. The coaches from Teachsport were brilliant; they teach games in the local schools by day and are passionate about helping our kids enjoy sport and my two came away having learnt a lot. The Park Cricket format (AKA Kwik Cricket) uses lightweight plastic bats and stumps, soft-ish balls (which means pads and gloves are not necessary) and simplified rules, which reduce complexity and increase the fun. You may see it played during the lunch breaks at International Test matches and it’s a successful format used by many schools to introduce the game to youngsters.

It’s early days for Cricket at Mayow, this time next year there should be a cricket team in residence (local cricket pitches are much in demand) and even more summer sessions for the youngsters.

Alex Nisbett

GREEN FLAG FOR MAYOW PARK

Mayow Park has been awarded a Green Flag. A green flag will be installed, probably near one of the entrances to the west of the park, so please look out for it.
What does this mean? There are 8 key criteria that judges look at when assessing a park for this prestigious status:
1. A welcoming place
2. Healthy, safe and secure
3. Clean and well maintained
4. Sustainability
5. Conservation and heritage
6. Community involvement
7. Marketing
8. Management

Info copied from Horticulture Week  

http://www.hortweek.com/Landscape/article/1081642/Green-Flag-2011---1288-parks-win/ 

Monday, 25 July 2011
Today, 1,288 parks and green spaces throughout the UK will receive the Green Flag Award or Community Award. The record number of sites will be raising their flags throughout Love Parks Week, which runs from 23-31 July. A full listing of Green Flag 2011 winners will be published on Friday in Horticulture Week.

Communities and Local Government Minister Andrew Stunell said:

"This year, a record of number of parks and green spaces across the country have been awarded a Green Flag – a testament to all the hard work that local authorities and communities put in to maintaining them. The announcement of this year’s winners also acts as a timely reminder to communities everywhere that there are hundreds of top-quality parks out there to enjoy.

‘Given the important role parks and green spaces play in all our lives, I would like to thank all this year’s volunteer judges for their efforts. I share the joy of communities that, through the scheme, see their local areas flourish."

Green Flag Plus Partnership chairman Phil Barton said: "The importance of good-quality green spaces cannot be overestimated. They are central to the growth of our communities, both socially and economically.

"The Green Flag Award Scheme, and its growth, is essential in driving up the standards of our parks and green spaces. Access to quality green space is something we all desire and the scheme plays a key role in providing it.

"In these challenging financial times it is heartening that the number of Green Flag and Community Awards continues to grow. As the value of green space and the role it plays in our communities strengthens, we must ensure these high standards remain."



 

wild flowers in Pavilion Triangle

 Achillea flowering in the big bed near the blackberry bushes.










More wild flowers  are blooming in the wild flower meadow between the log seating and the holly tree on the southern side of the site.

REMINDER gardening sessions 29 & 30 July

Two more gardening sessions in the Pavilion Triangle before the end of July:
Friday 29th and Saturday 30th July 1 - 3pm.
Come and join us to dig up dandelions and put in new plants. Look at the mini wild flower meadow. No gardening experience needed, just a willingness to help.

After work this evening spent an enjoyable 45 minutes at Pavilion Triangle weeding out couch grass and other rapidly growing 'weeds' i.e. plants growing in the wrong place. It really is enjoyable to dig and pull up plants that come out so easily. This is mainly due to rain which has made the soil soft and crumbly. A woman stopped to  say how she likes the unexpected plantings within plant beds in a public park, giving the tomato plants as an example but also referring to the herbs.

Looking forward to the gardening session on Friday 22^nd from 2 to 4pm as that should give a solid block of time for serious weeding. I am hoping that 4 more people will come along.

LONDON PARKS PICNIC SUN 31JULY 2011

As part of Love Parks Week come to a special event in central London. Bring a picnic to share.
Date: Sunday 31st July 2011
Where: Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, London SW1P 3JA
Time:12-4pm
This event is a celebration of our parks and green spaces, and the immense value they provide to our communities. It is also a call for the protection, resources and management these green spaces deserve.

PAVILION TRIANGLE gardening sessions

There are 3 gardening sessions at the Pavilion Triangle this month. We will be hand weeding to remove the couch grass and other 'weeds' from around the intentional plantings in the bigger bed. This continues the work  done by individual volunteers during June who stepped in to limit the rapid spread of weeds  following much needed rain. If time allows we will also work on the woodchip path.
Here are the dates:
Friday 22nd July  2pm to 4pm
Friday 29th July  1pm to 3pm
Saturday 30th July  1pm to 3pm.
If you have the following, please bring: gardening gloves, a kneeling mat, a hoe and/ or trowel if you have these tools.
More dates are planned during August

Pavilion Triangle update July 2011

This updated map of the Pavilion Triangle shows the three 'zones'. The grass area has seating logs and a local Montessori Forest School uses this space  once a week. The fruit area is for fruit bushes with flowering plants growing around them to add colour. The herb area has mainly perennial herbs but with some annuals.

The whole of the Pavilion Triangle needs time for the plants to mature.

The site is managed entirely by volunteers from among the park users who visit sometimes after work, at weekends or the occasional weekday afternoon.

The next major task will be to remove 'weeds' (which have flourished thanks to the rain) but with care not to damage the intentional plantings.

There will be 3 gardening sessions during July:

Friday 22nd July 2pm to 4pm

Friday 29th July 1pm to 3pm

Saturday 30th July 1pm to 3pm

Volunteers are welcome to come for part of the time or the whole session. It would be great if people with a hoe or a trowel could bring these along too. A reminder of the dates and times will be posted again nearer the time.



new signs in Mayow Park

Visitors entering Mayow Park from each of the four gates will be greeted by a new Welcome board. The one by the Burghill Road gates has an added extra - a summary of the history of the park.

cricket for kids this summer

This banner is self-explanatory.There will be opportunities for children aged 6 - 14 to take part in a cricket course run by TeachSport. Mayow Park will be one of the venues.

path by children's playground finished



The footpath by the children's playground was closed to the public for a couple of weeks. Children could still use the playground by going through the picnic area.

The path edging by the evergreen oak clearly shows the path is now a little wider to avoid vehicles driving onto the grass verges on a very tight bend.

And here is the finished path, much safer to walk along. It was completed during the first week of July.