FOMP General Meeting 9th July 2013

The next Friends of Mayow Park general meeting will be on Tuesday 9th July, starting  at 7pm and aiming for a prompt finish at 8.30pm. It will be held at Dacres wood Nature reserve Field Centre.

(The Centre is a single storey building located up driveway between Homefield House & Catling Close. Go through gates and turn left into building)

 We are particularly keen to invite regular park users to join us including dog walkers, sports groups, young people aged 16+, parents of young children and others.

For more information email: friendsofmayowpark@ymail.com

Orchard watering volunteers June2013

The last posting on this blog was 24th May so it is about time for a new post.
The orchard trees are really looking well since the new arrangements for watering have been in place. There are 8 orchard volunteers; seven have one tree each to water and the remaining four trees are watered by the 8th volunteer.
This year and next, from around March to September/ October, each tree has 20 litres of water a week. Each volunteer has found a watering time and routine that suits them. Thank you to all the volunteers and their hard work.
One of the trees has been afflicted by aphids which have made the leaves curl and turn brown, so I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies and particularly their larvae. The larvae of all of these look more threatening than the adults! These photos came from the internet.

ladybird larva

Lacewing larva

hoverfly larva

Pavilion works update 24th May - sewer damage

I received an email this afternoon from Martin Hyde (Lewisham Council) with an update about an unforeseen  significant problem with the foul sewer connection.  It is essential for this problem to be resolved so that waste water and sewerage systems can be installed.  Thames Water's contractor have surveyed the sewer in Mayow Road.  Martin's message says:

I have asked Glendale to make an application to Thames Water for them to survey the site and quote for a new foul sewer connection from the existing drain to the road. As soon as we have this information I can seek additional funding to enable this work . With regards to the building itself the damaged sewer has inevitably caused some delay. Works are continuing with the main roof, which will be repaired, and the roof over the new toilets which will be replaced. Unfortunately the dry rot was worse than we had hoped for. Once the plaster had been hacked off it was evident that door and window lintels in the left hand side of the building (as you look from the front) would need to be replaced and new windows and doors installed. These additional costs will have to covered. A new, upgraded, electrical supply will be installed at the end of next week, this will provide a separate metered supply to Grow Mayow; the pavilion and bowls buildings; and separate supply for the café space.

Gardening on 30th March 2013

A bit of a miserable Easter weekend with snow and hail and very cold but work was needed on the Triangle to sort out the path and remove weeds round plants.
Some of the logs marking the path boundary have disappeared in the past fortnight which is very sad. Do people who take them realise the logs were put in by volunteers giving up their own time? Something needed to be done to keep the path visible, so a small log from home and a few lengths of salvaged planks came to the rescue. They have  filled some, but not all, of the gaps and the planks are less attractive than logs but they serve a purpose, until such time as we get replacement logs.
In the larger plant bed, all the fruit plants were weeded and well-rotted wood chip placed round them. Some of our park users have already added  salad leaves round one of the fruit trees (see picture) , but they could only be seen when the unwanted plants were removed. Thank you to the unknown people who did this planting.
In the herb bed, some dandelions were removed and garlic chives were sown. This growing season we plan to have beans and brassicas growing among the herbs as well as callaloo. The callaloo did not do too well last year so hopefully they will be taller and stronger this year.
If you have any thoughts about what to grow in the herb bed this year, or if you have plants and seeds to spare which you think could grow in the Triangle, do get in touch.

2013: What we've done, what we're doing

FOMP's year begins ...

with an AGM, where volunteers are elected for the essential roles of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, (Alona, Sue & Hilary) and there are also brief formal reports. This year FOMP is looking for more volunteers for handle communications, sports liaison, co-ordinating volunteers working on the Pavilion triangle and orchard, events, and representing the interests of dog-walkers, young people and families.

At the AGM, held February 19th, Tim Lund volunteered for the communications role, while Alona undertook to continue her work on the Triangle and orchard. So that still leaves us looking for sporty, young eventful family-oriented dog-walkers - well, you understand - doesn't have to be just one person, in fact, the more the merrier!

Other news ... 

• FOMP celebrates 20 years this spring, and a small celebration will mark the occasion. 
• Mayow, Sydenham Wells and Home Park Parks, in three different wards (Perry Vale, Sydenham, and Bellingham) through their User Groups have set up a forum to share common concerns. There will be a three parks walk some time in June. 
• 5th March 2013 will mark the long anticipated start of work - site set up, fencing, etc. - for the refurbishment of the pavilion, working closely with Iris to ensure minimal disruption to Grow Mayow. It is hoped to complete by end of June 2013, but damp rot in the building and stagnant water in the basement are possible risk factors. There would be weekly meetings with the contractors. 
• There will be two cricket clubs using Mayow Park as a base - Streatham and Marlborough and Caribbean Mix - and provisional match dates have now been published. Caribbean Mix were also proposing a week long cricket event in the first week of September. Glendale are working on changing facilities for the period before the completion of the pavilion. 
• Further sports activities planned are:
•  Junior football – midweek Primary Years 3 and 4 
• Midweek school use – Sports days 
• Park Active – half-terms and summer holidays run by TeachSport (free activities) 
• Park Run – Paul Harper was looking to encourage a weekly 5k run, currently held at Hilly Fields. The use of the cafe would help a lot with this,
• a potential cycle event, and not forgetting
• regular usage of the tennis courts and bowls green 
• Sydenham Arts Festival - we look forward to again hosting an event as part of the Sydenham Arts Festival

The Way Forward for FOMP 

Those attending the meeting were asked to write down their thoughts on the following questions:

• What do you think are the best features of Mayow Park?
• What is disappointing about Mayow Park?
• What do you see as the roles for Friends of Mayow Park?
• What will encourage more people to become involved with FOMP?

We hope to publish the results of this survey in due course.

Dog Activity Day - Mayow Park, Thursday 21 Feb

★ Agility sessions by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home ★
★ Bring your dog along and give them a workout ★
★ Robert Alleyne, star of TV’s Dog Borstal, will be giving out competition prizes ★
★ Free microchipping and tag engraving ★
Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times
For more information call 020 8314 2098 or visit www.lewisham.gov.uk
In association with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and the RSPCA

Mayow Park Proposed Cricket Fixtures 2013

Click on this fixtures list to see it magnified!

Anyone wishing to find out more about cricket in Mayow Park and how to make pitch bookings should contact the Glendale office on 020 8318 3968