Mayow Park Community Orchard

Today, four Friends of Mayow Park attended the Orchard Leaders Training run by London Orchard Project in preparation for a new community orchard planned for Mayow Park in January 2012. We met at Myatts Fields Park in Lambeth.  Our training included fruit tree planting and maintenance, community engagement and starting to write an orchard management plan.  

London Orchard project will lead the community planting day in January and we hope a good number of people can participate.

We have some great ideas for future events based around the orchard and would like to hear ideas from other people. Park users can be involved in care and maintenance of this Community Orchard by contacting friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com .  

To give you a flavour of the fruit varieties, the proposal is for five apple varieties on MM106 semi-dwarfing root stocks, three pears (including two perry pears) and two varieties of plum.

We are looking for individuals or community groups to sponsor the fruit trees. If interested please email friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com

REMINDER: planting on 4th December 2011

Friends of Mayow Park invite you to join us on Sunday 4^th December 2011 from 11am to 1pm. We will plant two fruit trees, some fruit bushes and various herbs in the Pavilion Triangle.Please wear suitable clothing and bring tools such as a trowel or spade if possible.
The Triangle is directly ahead if entering at the park entrance opposite Burghill Road.

If digging is not for you, why not bring along tree stories to tell (myths, folklore, legends and true stories).

For further details please email friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com  or look us up on Facebook.

fruit bushes and herbs for Pavilion triangle beds

Shopping today to buy fruit bushes and herbs for the Pavilion Triangle. Fruit bushes: blackcurrant and whitecurrant. Herbs: Winter savory, oregano, curry plant, hyssop, lemon thyme and chives. These and the fruit bushes previously purchased will go into the ground at the 4th December planting event.

National Tree Week 4th December 2011 event

To celebrate National Tree Week, the Friends of Mayow Park are organising a gardening session  on Sunday 4th December 2011 from 11am to 1pm at the Pavilion Triangle. There will be a chance  to plant trees and fruit bushes.  If you would like to help with digging and planting please bring suitable tools.

What is National Tree Week?
First celebrated in 1975, National Tree Week is UK's largest annual tree celebration and starts the winter tree planting season.
National Tree Week gives communities a chance to do something positive for their local treescape. Each year many groups around the country support the initiative by setting up fun, worthwhile and accessible events, inspiring over a quarter of a million people to get their hands dirty and together plant around million trees.

Dacres Wood Reserve open day 23rd October 2011

Close to Mayow Park, the small reserve at Dacres Wood was open to the public today. Around 70 people visited, including volunteers from Forest Hill Society who provided refreshments and gave guided tours. Children were given 'scavenger hunt' activity sheets to help them get up close to the wildlife in the reserve. Steve Grindlay gave an excellent talk on 'Art and Artists in Forest Hill and Sydenham' at midday, repeated at 2pm.
There seems to be great interest in starting up a Friends of Dacres Wood. Such a group would be able to open the reserve to the public more frequently and do some nature conservation work to improve the different habitat zones around the site. Anyone interested in helping to set up this group should pass on their contact details to alona@foresthillsociety.com .

Raising the Green Flag on 21st October 2011

The Mayow Park Green Flag was raised today at 2pm. Attending the flag raising were Glendale staff, Greenscene and the Friends of Mayow Park. Thank you to Glendale for the preparations and to Fred who installed the flagpole. Fred is in the second picture about to raise the flag. Thank you to everyone who has worked to improve the park.
And I forgot to mention two local councillors who are very supportive of the Friends of Mayow Park. Thank you Susan and Chris!

weeding and mulching in the Triangle

Huge thanks to Marina and Suzy for their recent and ongoing work in the Triangle. Suzy has been patiently weeding round the plants we want to keep and her efforts are clearly visible.
Marina was determined to finish putting another thick layer of woodchip mulch on the log-edged, windy path near the bigger plant bed . . . and she finished today, on such an extremely hot day.

Next FOMP quarterly meeting

The next Friends of Mayow Park quarterly meeting will be held on Tuesday 11th October 2011 at Forest Hill School starting at 7pm prompt. It will finish by 8.30pm. Topics for the meeting will include cricket and the Green Flag recently awarded to Mayow Park.
Go into the school via the gates on Dacres Road and explain to the security staff that you are coming to the Mayow Park meeting. We will find out on the evening which room we will be in.

Gardening at the Pavilion Triangle

Two volunteers are giving up some of their time to weed the beds at the Pavilion Triangle. Thanks to both of you the beds and plants within them are being looked after. The woodchip paths have not had a complete resurfacing of woodchip but the hope is they will be finished before winter. It may be moving towards autumn but there are still flowering plants in the Triangle and they look lovely. More fruit bushes will be purchased for the larger bed and planted before winter. More herbs will be added to the herb bed.

Forest Hill Soc Bring & Take event was a success

Saturday 24th September was a warm day so tables were set out in the yard at Dacres Wood Field Centre. Balloons and posters were put up on nearby lamp posts to advertise the Bring and Take event. The Waste Electrical and  Electronic Equipment (WEEE) van and driver were there too, courtesy of Lewisham Council's waste & recycling department. Refreshments were provided by Forest Hill Society members.
It was not long before people came in the donate items they no longer need, take something they wanted or to put a WEEE item on the van. Some people had seen flyers at Sainsbury's Bell Green or had heard of the event through the Transition Lewisham network. Local people who had seen the posters on lamp posts were very keen and several asked if we can have more such events at the Field Centre location.

When the event finished, all remaining items in good condition were taken by Lewisham Council to be put back into circulation via Chris Carey Collections and the WEEE waste will go off to be dismantled and recycled.

There was some interest in setting up a Friends of Dacres Wood Nature Reserve, to help with the upkeep and make this hidden gem more accessible. If you, or someone you know, might be interested, please send an email with 'Friends of Dacres Reserve' in the subject line to: friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com

Forest Hill Soc Bring and Take Day Sat 24th September 2011

Dacres Wood Nature Reserve is a few minutes walk from Mayow Park so I think I think I can promote an upcoming event there on the blog.
 Forest Hill Society is organising a  'Bring and Take' day Saturday 24 September 2011, 11.00am to 3.00pm, at Dacres Wood Reserve Field Centre, off Dacres Road SE23.

BRING usable items you no longer need eg bicycles, push-chairs, books, toys, CDs, DVDs, tools, small items of furniture, musical instruments, good‑quality clothing, electrical goods, kitchenware etc. TAKE items you will find useful.

This isn’t a swap so you don’t need to match a Bring item with a Take item. Please note: Items to be swapped should be in good working order.

In addition, Lewisham Council will provide a van for WEEE waste (electrical and electronic equipment), so if you have any electrical items that no longer work you can bring them along to be disposed of properly.

How to find the Dacres Wood Field Studies Centre:
Entry to the Field Centre is off Dacres Road, between Catling Close and Homefield House, near the junction of Dacres Road and Silverdale. An unmarked driveway leads directly to the Field Centre from Dacres Road. Parking is available on Dacres Road and other nearby roads.

tomato blight!

All the lovely plum tomato plants growing in the Triangle have had to be uprooted and disposed of. When no-one was looking they developed blight and they looked a sorry sight today. The plants were heavily laden with plum tomatoes but many of those showed the tell-tale brown markings of blight. This photo shows how the stems of the plants have been affected.
Suggestions please for suitable seeds or plants (i.e. edible or herbal) to go in the ground  to replace the ground cover which those tomatoes were so good at providing.

successful gardening sessions

Friday 26th and Saturday 27th August saw 2 more gardening sessions in the Pavilion Triangle. Despite the heavy rain on Friday, three volunteers came to put in plants into the smaller bed (the herb zone). A nasturtium, a pea and some strawberry runners were put in and a bit of weeding took place.  Two volunteers came on Saturday and managed to avoid the rain! Weeding continued, with particular efforts round the edges of the bed, so now it is clear where the grass verge ends and the plant bed begins.

People who use Mayow Park are a friendly bunch. People strolling in the park will often stop and speak to the volunteers, to ask about the Triangle or comment on other parts of the park. Children ask interesting questions about plants they can see in the Triangle and often express their appreciation of the new older children’s ‘playscape’ on the northern side of the park.

 Adults say very complimentary things about different parts of the park. Grow Mayow’s garden in particular gets a lot of well-deserved praise. The Triangle generates interest and several new volunteers have been recruited by explaining this user-led initiative.   There are frequent  inquiries about plans for the Pavilion and a community cafe, which is something we hope will come to fruition as  follow-up to urgent renovation work of the building and creation of sports changing facilities.

Some visitors to the park during the school holidays are families hoping to move into the area who are checking out what is available locally.

       

These two photos show parts of the herb bed as they looked today, on an overcast and damp day.

extra gardening sessions 26th & 27th August

There will be two more gardening sessions this week at Pavilion Triangle:Friday 26th and Saturday 27th August 2011 from 2pm to 4pm

Meet at the Triangle, near the Pavilion entrance opposite Burghill Road.
It would be great if we could finish laying more woodchip on the paths. 
We also have some strawberry runners ready to plant in the smaller bed where they will provide ground cover.
And there is also work for those who enjoy weeding.
Just turn up on the day.
If you have gardening tools, please bring any of the following: trowel, spade, fork or hoe, gardening gloves or a mat to kneel on.
There are other ways you can help if gardening is not your scene. For example, are there any keen photographers? It would be great to have photos to put on the blog.
Hope to see you on Friday or Saturday.

Macmillan fundraising event 20th August

The 'wacky Olympics' family fun day took place today in Mayow Park to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. It was organised by Bengu, a cancer sufferer who, despite her health difficulties, had put in many hours to prepare a well-organised and enjoyable day for all and had engaged the help of sponsors too.
The event was opened by the outgoing Lewisham Young Mayor  and was closed by Sir Steve Bullock, the Mayor of Lewisham. It was most unfortunate that the event was marred by heavy rain half way through which persisted to the end of the event. This meant that most people rushed away to seek shelter and did not stay till the end.
Despite the unpleasant weather, Bengu remained cheerful. I hope she has been able to reach her target of raising £5,000 to pay towards a Macmillan Cancer Support nurse at Lewisham Hospital, where Bengu herself has received her treatment.

Friday gardening & Saturday fundraising

TWO EVENTS
1. A quick reminder that tomorrow, Friday 19th August, we will have another gardening session at the Pavilion Triangle. We hope to finish putting more woodchip along the path. For those who prefer another activity, there is plenty of weeding to keep you busy.

2. On Saturday 20th August there will be a fundraising event in the park to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
It is being organised by a young woman suffering from leukaemia who is receiving support from Macmillan.  
Opening ceremony is at midday; closing ceremony 3pm.
This event, titled' Wacky Olympics', is for all the family and anyone wanting to take part in the games is asked to arrive early, to sign up.
There will be various stalls plus activities including a bouncy castle and face painting, as well as refreshments.
A worthwhile cause with fun for all the family.

AUGUST 2011 GARDENING SESSIONS

Three gardening sessions in August to continue weeding and to work on the wood chip paths. If you don’t know much about gardening, someone can show you what to do. Please bring gardening tools if you have them, including gardening gloves, a kneeling mat, a hoe, trowel or spade.
Come for the whole session or drop in for a short while.
Times: All sessions from 2 – 4pm.
Dates: Friday 12^th August; Saturday 13^th August; Friday 19^th August.
Place: The Triangle beds near the Burghill Road entrance.
See you there!

For more information please phone 020 8244 4259 or email: friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com

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.

PAVILION TRIANGLE GARDENING WORK CONTINUES

The couch grass in the larger bed at the Pavilion Triangle has benefitted from the rain! It is gradually being removed by conscientious volunteers, digging up these invasive plants carefully with a trowel to avoid damaging the other plants. Any new volunteers care to lend a hand?

Our email address is: friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com

path resurfacing has started

At the recent FOMP meeting on 14^th June, the Friends were assured by Glendale and Greenscene that major path resurfacing along the western side of the park would happen soon. It would start after the official opening of the older children’s play space (which took place on 16^th June). And this week we saw the work start. There will be a full resurface to the path from the Recreation Road entrance to just beyond the children’s playground and picnic area.

Further work is proposed along a short section of the NW path near the pavilion in the not too distant future.

FOMP are looking for wealthy philanthropists with several hundred thousand pounds to spare so that more sections of path can be fully restored. If you know any such benefactors, please send them our way.  

Our email address is:  friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com

New play space in Mayow Park: The opening event on 16th June 2011

Councillor Susan Wise cuts the ribbon and everyone cheers

The zip wire and table tennis are very popular

Celebrating the new play space: the equipment



Thomas from Groundwork  displays the play space logo



logo on other equipment

The woodland walk

Older children’s play space official opening: Thursday 16th June2011

The work on the older children's playspace started at the end of March 2011 (see photo) with earth digging equipment.
Now, mid-June, the Friends of Mayow Park are really delighted at the completion of the new play space and that a bit of woodland has been incorporated into the final design. More woodland could be included at a later date.

   Thank you to everyone involved:

·         Lewisham Greenscene who supported the idea and the Playbuilder funding application
·         Groundwork for designing the space and managing the whole project
·         All the young people we consulted during 2009
·         Glendale for constructing the space so carefully
·         Local young people (and adults) who have waited for it to be finished

Above all, we hope that young people will enjoy using the equipment.

Film night in Mayow Park 14th July 2011

As part of Sydenham Arts Festival (SAF) there will be a film night in Mayow Park on 14^th July. The main film will be ‘The Italian Job’, the 1969 film with Michael Caine, Noel Coward and Benny Hill. SAF needs more volunteers for this and other major events. This message is to invite you to sign up to help as volunteers for that event.

SAF will hold a volunteers meeting at the Golden Lion Pub (opposite the Dolphin, at the other end of the high street) next Saturday 25^th June, from 11am for about 1 hour. This will be a training session for those who wish to help steward the big events, and there will be a briefing on basic stewarding skills, use of walkie talkie, crowd control etc.  Find out more about SAF on  http://www.sydenhamartsfestival.co.uk
 Contact the organisers for more information on  sydenhamartsfestival@hotmail.co.uk    

having a picnic on 5th June

The afternoon of 5th June was sunny with showers and not exactly warm, but people still came to have their Big Lunch picnic and used the new picnic benches.

Big Lunch picnic

One of the new picnic benches in their new location

the picnic area

The picnic area before the arrival of the benches

Big Lunch benches

Chris & Jason rebuild one of their benches for Mayow Park

Picnic benches in Mayow Park

Thanks to the generosity of Mastercard, the Friends of Mayow Park have  new picnic benches  for the picnic area. They were  originally part of a 90 metre long bench, built by CJ Benches and constructed near City Hall for a Big Lunch launch event on 25th May.  Then they were taken apart to be rebuilt as 3 metre long benches to be donated to the London boroughs.

Big Lunch in the picnic area

35 people came to take part in the Mayow Park Big Lunch  and brought their picnics. There were 4 separate groups but people in each group spoke to others. The light drizzle did not spoil the afternoon and luckily the heavy rain started after we all left. The picnic benches kindly donated by Mastercard for this occasion, were very useful and enabled everyone to find a seat.
The picnic benches were originally part of a 90 metre long picnic bench, erected near City Hall for a 'Big Lunch' event on 25th May. This super-long bench was then cut into manageable lengths and distributed among the local boroughs, with 2 of Lewisham's parks being lucky recipients. Photos of the benches will follow in a few days time.

Planting in the Pavilion Triangle beds

Friday 3rd June 1.30pm: A team of volunteers continued the planting and watering of the Triangle beds. The artichokes are beginning to grow again after their transfer from Grow Mayow to their new home in the smaller bed of the Triangle. The fennel plants are growing in a block and should provide a hazy display as they grow. Calendula plants were added in the smaller bed and should produce beautiful orange flower heads quite soon. The parsley has grown to give a gorgeous green bundle of leaves. More pansies were planted to plug the gaps along the edge of the bigger bed. More lavendar and sage plants were added in the bigger bed. Several callaloo were planted into the smaller bed. A map indicating the different plantings is being prepared and will go into the noticeboard when it is ready.

Picnic benches

Friday 3rd June: Friends of Mayow Park took delivery of picnic benches, generously donated by Mastercard. These benches formed part of a 90 metre long picnic bench erected on 25th May near City Hall in support of the Big Lunch. The 90 metre bench was built by CJ Benches. It was later dismantled and distributed to the London boroughs in time to be set up in parks for the Big Lunch on 5th June. One picnic bench was installed at Grow Mayow and the rest in the picnic area adjacent to the children's playground on the western side of the park. Photos to follow!

Thursday 2nd June: Green Flag judges came to look at Mayow Park.
*Although the paths are in a bad way at the moment, work will start soon to resurface one section near the children's playground.
*Glendale teams have been working hard to complete the older children's playspace and some of the equipment in now available for use. There is even a small woodland walk going behind the yew tree into the wooded area.
*The grass in the cricket square is looking better after being watered thoroughly with a very long hose. Today, 4 days later,  the much needed rain has arrived, so the grass will get a good soaking and we should be able to see the difference with a few days.

Today at the Triangle

A lot of weeding today round the bigger bed means that the fruit bushes are more visible and the weeds don't try to compete with them.The pansies look very pleased to be on show again.  The grass at the edges  round the smaller bed was trimmed very expertly by Mike.   More herbs were planted. Much discussion on how to fill this large space. Another working party is planned for the end of the week, to put in more shrubs and bedding plants. Thank you to all who joined in today.

NEXT TRIANGLE WORKDAY 28 MAY

The next weeding and watering workday at Pavilion Triangle (near the entrance opposite Burghill Road) will be Saturday 28th May 2011.
Do join us, even for 1/2 hour, from 11am to 2pm. If you have gardening tools, please bring along some for hoeing and digging. We may also do some more planting.
Volunteers have been watering the plot because of lack of rain and some more plants have been added to the smaller bed. For more information please email friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com See you there.

Next Pavilion Triangle workday in Mayow Park

There were two successful workdays at the Pavilion Triangle Garden in Mayow Park during April. Nature's Gym volunteers and park users worked together to create a woodland path, plant some fruit bushes and herbs, and make a seating area using logs. That was the start. There will be regular workdays to continue the good work.
Mayow Park users are invited to lend a hand at the next Pavilion Triangle workday on Saturday 30th April from 10am to 1pm.
 Tasks include the following: watering, weeding, seed sowing (edible plants), planting cuttings.
 Please bring tools, plants or seeds of edible plants if you have any. For example:
tools - watering can, trowel, hoe, spade or garden fork;
seeds - nasturtium, marigolds and sunflower (all edible flowers);
herbs -chives, curry plants, sage, lavender, rosemary, and other herbs used for culinary purposes.
For further information, email friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com or call 020 8244 4259.

Pictures from workday 1 with Nature's Gym

Team creates new community garden in Mayow Park

Thursday 7^th April 2011, a warm and sunny day, and over 30 people came to work  on the Pavilion Triangle, a new public space within Mayow Park where there were previously rose bushes and a grassy area.

Teamwork has been a key feature of the project, from initial proposal to this latest phase.

Our thanks go to the volunteers from Nature’s Gym, Grow Mayow and Friends of Mayow Park, to Glendale, Greenscene and tree surgeons. Next Thursday 14^th April we will plant fruit bushes and herbs.

How did it all start? Back in October 2010, at the 2-day Introduction to Permaculture Design course at Grow Mayow, a practical task was given to participants to design a space for park users with edible plants. The area is now called Pavilion Triangle.

After the course, Suriya and Ruth took on the challenge and drew fresh designs based on Permaculture principles, which were presented to Glendale Officers (who manage the park) and Lewisham Council’s GreenScene officers. One design was then revised further.

This design was discussed at the FOMP meeting in early March and unanimously approved. Nature’s Gym co-ordinators Jess and Lara offered 2 workdays in April with Nature’s Gym volunteers to get the project started. Grow Mayow volunteers arranged with tree surgeons to provide logs and woodchip.

The Pavilion Triangle is now registered as a Capital Growth Community Garden and FOMP was successful in applying for a grant to buy plants, timber and compost. So many people contributed time and energy to the project.

Photos of the day to follow.

WORKDAYS IN MAYOW PARK 7th & 14th April 2011

 JOIN US FOR 2 WORKDAYS IN MAYOW PARK

Friends of Mayow Park with Nature’s Gym

DATE: Thursday 7^th April and Thursday 14^th April

TIME: From 11am to 2pm

WHY: To develop the new Pavilion Triangle area.  

Help turn the Pavilion Triangle into a community food-growing resource:

plant fruit bushes, herbs and create a woodchip path.

Meet by the Pavilion.

Please wear suitable shoes and clothes for gardening.

Dacres Wood Nature Reserve Sunday 27 March 2011

Dacres Wood nature reserve and field centre open day
Friends of Mayow Park with  Forest Hill Society have organised an open day at  Dacres Wood Nature Reserve on Sunday 27th March 2011 from 1pm to 4pm. There will be history talks in the Field Centre, guided walks, nature activities,  gardening tips and refreshments. A great way to celebrate the return of spring!
 We will use the entrance via the field centre, which is off Dacres Road,  down the unmarked driveway between Homefield House and Catling Close

TREE FELLING MARCH 2011

There has been concern at the tree felling during the past week in Mayow Park. Word from Lewisham Greenscene is that the trees were diseased and needed to come down.

The Friends of Mayow Park will be talking to Greenscene about plans for future tree planting so that this park will still look magnificent into the next century.
We have asked that, in future when such works are undertaken,  park users are given advance warning so that they will be assured about  the purpose of the work. 

FOMP 19^th March 2011

Advance notice film night in July

We are still in March and already plans are being prepared for a film night in Mayow Park in July. So get your diaries and note the date:

Advance notice: Date for your diary

        FREE FILM SHOW

WEDNESDAY 13^TH JULY 2011 from 8PM-11PM [time to be confirmed]

For one night only, Sydenham Arts Festival will transform Mayow Park into an open-air cinema.

Following 2009’s screening of The Bride of Frankenstein and last year’s Fantastic Mr Fox, this year film fans can get to see the original version of classic British crime caper The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine. One of its most famous scenes was actually filmed locally in Crystal Palace Park – see if you can guess which one!

The film will be introduced by film historian and broadcaster Matthew Sweet. The main feature will be preceded by short films made by local film-makers.

Bird walk 6th March 2011

Twelve hardy folk came on the bird walk around Mayow Park, at 7am on a cold but dry Sunday 6th  March 2011.

We had hardly begun the walk when we were confronted by two male blackbirds squabbling!

As we walked round we looked at possible nesting holes in the ancient oaks and found holes of different sizes to suit a range of tree nesting birds, the largest big enough for stock doves.
Thank you to Paul for leading today's enjoyable walk.
Thanks also to those who joined us.

Here is a list (in no particular order) of the birds seen:

Blackbirds

Black headed gulls

Wood pigeons

Chaffinch

Blue tits

Starlings

Great tits

Parakeets

Redwing

Magpies

Stock doves

Carrion crows

Robin

Pair of mistle thrushes

Greenfinch

Birds we heard:
 

Song Thrush    
Wren
Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming

Bird Walk

   Bird walk in Mayow Park                                                  

When:

Sunday 6^th March 2011 at 7am

Where:

Meet at the Pavilion, near the Burghill Road entrance

The walk will take approximately 1 hour.

Please bring binoculars if you have them.