Playground update 11th Dec 2023

 A few photos from today. The equipment is taking shape. 

Latest playground progress photos

 Photos taken on Thursday 7th December 2023 - equipment installation has started. The photos say it all - the playground is beginning to take shape.

Playground rebuild Nov-Dec 2023 part 3 - sharing the news with local children

 The nearest primary school to the park is Adamsrill Primary School.

Sandra the Kompan project manager arranged for Adamsrill School Council students to visit on Monday 4th December. Fifteen pupils from year 1 to year 6, with two members of staff, came to meet Sandra and the construction team, to ask some very good questions about the facilities which would be installed.At this point they could only see a building site but some of the design plans were available on the fences. 

Above all, they wanted to know how long the rebuild would take and they were pleasantly surprised to learn that if the weather is not too harsh and if equipment safety inspections take place, then play could resume before Christmas.  Such good news.

Playground rebuild Nov-Dec 2023 part 2

 After the Covid lockdowns and the re-opening of public spaces, it took time to build momentum and to start the funding applications process again. That same parent with fund-raising ambitions was willing to try again. Other parents came together to offer support but time was the real barrier for working parents. We were fortunate that Lewisham’s park department offered communities a funding opportunity for green spaces and children’s facilities, using the levy they charge developers on building developments.

Our bid to Lewisham was successful but we needed matched funding to achieve a whole-playground rebuild.  Veolia*, the waste management company, had funds  that we were eligible to apply for. . .  And success!

 With sufficient funds sourced, Lewisham could now approve the process for demolition and rebuild. Glendale’s managers put the project out to tender and Kompan** won the contract.  Their overall design included most of the wishes of the parents including access for children in wheelchairs and for children with sensory needs. Some children expressed further wishes to keep a few bits of much-loved play equipment in the under-5s section.

The designs - based on the survey results

And after all the build-up, finally on 29^th November 2023 the demolition started.

 Additional wishes voiced by some parents and which would have been ideal but not practical included new toilet facilities. There are toilets at the eastern side of the park beside the café; but infrastructure to lay water and sewerage services to the western side of the park would not be feasible at this time.

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*Veolia community funding    https://www.veoliatrust.org/funding/

** Kompan     https://www.kompan.com/en/gb  

Playground rebuild Nov-Dec 2023 part 1

 The suspense had been mounting. Six years after Friends of Mayow Park carried out our first online and face-to-face paper surveys on the children’s playground (started in 2017) , it looked like our dreams might actually happen.

2017 Summer: we started our survey designed to continue for months, no hurry, so we could reach more parents. Overwhelmingly, a new playground was the wish. Some of the equipment (swings in particular) had been there decades. The large wooden multi-climb  frame had arrived in the late 1990s and we estimated most of the other equipment came from that time too. High time the kids got quality equipment. Necessary repairs to some equipment were ongoing.

repairing the popular see-saw

What did parents want?

• Activities for toddlers including imaginative play, using sight, touch and sound
• Activities for those aged 5+ to play with friends
• Activities to challenge children up to the age of 11
• And activities should include balancing, climbing, swinging, pulling, sliding, sharing, twisting, jumping, a little bit of risk-taking, a sensory trail,  team-work, a space to sit on the grass, seating for adults.

What did the children want? They wanted more of the same sorts of equipment but better and more imaginative, with space to run around.

Clearly this was going to be an expensive ask. A group of parents came together to start the process but progress was so slow in those early stages that it seemed the project would flounder. One parent came forward willing to apply to big funders and made a start on applications. Quite impressive research went into applications and we had a quiet confidence of a  successful  outcome.

We were supported by Glendale, the firm that manages most of Lewisham’s parks. The Glendale managers wanted us to succeed, to be able to access funds. Lewisham’s parks department also gave advice and help.

But then came two years when everything stopped . . . and we all remember the effect that Covid 19 had on communities everywhere.

Dog Show in Mayow Park - a new first for the Friends of the Park

   We had a wonderful dog show today (Sunday 24th September) in Mayow Park. It was a real community event and the weather held out for us.

Glendale put a proper ‘ring’ up for us (well it was a fenced square but you know what I mean!) - we really appreciated their efficiency in putting it up and taking it down for us on a Sunday.

Pam Mulvaney Brown, who runs the Narvik Dog Training School, came to judge for us with her colleague and friend Kim. They were a fantastic team and chatted to each owner before asking them to walk around the ring.

We had around 60 entries to our five categories with the most popular being ‘Best Behaved’. The dogs in this category had to demonstrate they could run to their owner when called and then sit nicely.

'Best Trick' was really fun with dogs spinning, dancing between legs and playing dead!

I operated a slightly unreliable megaphone but it did the job and sorry if anyone got tired of hearing my voice. As well as announcing the categories, it was important for me to share that it was our first dog show and was to celebrate 30 years of Friends of Mayow Park.

We didn’t know how the timings would work out but actually we ran ahead of time as everything seemed to run smoothly. We made a small profit  - nearly £150 - from the small fee to enter each category and from spectator donations. Thank you everyone.

Every dog who entered got at least a small rosette and some biscuit treats. The 3 winners in each category got a ‘Winner’ rosette and were entered for the 'Best in Show'. A wonderful dog called Cora won the special 'Best in Show' medal.

It really was a fun few hours with many amazing volunteers all wearing the new Friends of Mayow Park tabards which made us look very smart - thank you to Robert Hero for these.

Also thanks to Whites Pet Store who donated some treats and Best in Show prizes. It was a wonderful way to celebrate all our marvellous (and clever!) dogs in the park.

 

Pippa Moss

PS from the editor: 2023 has been a milestone year for Friends of Mayow Park. As Pippa says above, 30 year anniversary of FOMP.

The fledgling group started at a meeting in Sydenham Library in March 1993, with support from Lewisham Council and initially named Mayow Park Users' Group. That seems a long-forgotten time before social media.

Over the years there have been many changes in the park, mostly positive, and the group has grown thanks to the strength and influence and involvement of the local community. Working together with Lewisham Council (the land owners) and Glendale (the park management contractors), a lot has been achieved. May that continue long into the future.

The Dog Show, the ceramic bat hunt (see a previous blog) and the bat walks have been key events for the Friends group during this year. The Dog Show must surely be the highlight of our celebrations, drawing in so many dogs, dog owners and spectators. It was a real joy to see. Ed

Some of the team before the show

Some of the team again - with Pippa 

Cute dogs

Best in Show

Best in Show with runners up

And one more photo as the event is about to start:

Pipistrelle bats catching moths on 9th September 2023

 We gathered at dusk in Mayow Park.

Dr Iain Boulton welcomed everyone to another Friends of Mayow Park bat walk. People gathered round to hear his introduction to the bats of Mayow Park.

He explained that all UK bats eat insects,  that they are flying mammals and seek out flying insects using echolocation. Mayow Park has common pipistrelles living in and around the park. To find out more visit  this bats website.

Iain brought his bat detectors and explained how to use them  before giving them out to participants. The evening was warm and humid, moths and other insects were flying, so we were hopeful of hearing and even seeing some of the pips of our park.

We were not disappointed. As we walked towards the orchard some excited children heard the bat calls on their bat detectors and . . . some were quick enough to see these speedy flyers. Soon adults and children spotted these small animals hunting around the orchard.

Lots of thank yous:

• thank you to all the people who came out on a Saturday evening
• thank you to Iain for giving your time and sharing your knowledge of bats
• thank you to Glendale (who manage the park on behalf of Lewisham Council) for keeping the park gates open so we could hold this event
• thank you to our volunteer stewards