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London Parks and Green Spaces Forum supports launch of capital's new Friends network LPGSF is supporting the launch of the London Green Spaces Friends Groups Network. The initiative was agreed when over 80 representatives of local friends groups from 17 London boroughs gathered together for the first time... |
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MOREwoods receives new funding Calor has become the Woodland Trust's first corporate partner for the MOREwoods scheme. Calor have made a minimum commitment of £250,000 over three years... |
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£18m to benefit six UK parks Six UK parks are celebrating after receiving a share of £18m from Parks for People, a scheme from Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund... |
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Spotlight on Friends of North Lodge Park Yvonne Richardson, chair of Friends of North Lodge Park, shares her experiences in this issue's Community Profile... |
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GreenSpace News |
London Parks and Green Spaces Forum supports launch of capital's new Friends network |
Funding news |
MOREwoods receives new funding |
General news and features |
£18m to benefit six UK parks |
Events |
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12 November Pruning for Beginners Organiser: Garden Organic Location: Ryton Contact: www.gardenorganic.org.uk A course on how to prune all kinds of ornamental shrubs as well as roses, with advice on techniques and timing, together with practical demonstrations. 14 - 15 November Green Roofs Organiser: Brighton Permaculture Trust Location: Brighton Contact: www.brightonpermaculture.co.uk A two-day course to learn about green roofs and how to build them, with site visits and an opportunity to gain hands-on experience. 17 November Making it Safe Organiser: GreenSpace Location: London Contact: www.green-space.org.uk A one-day conference focusing on successfully tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in parks and green spaces. 26 November Working With Communities Organiser: Project Dirt Location: London Contact: www.projectdirt.com A course designed to give a thorough grounding in the key aspects of working effectively with communities and local organisations. |
Community Profile |
| Yvonne Richardson, Chair
Friends of North Lodge Park What inspired you to get involved with the Friends of North Lodge Park? It's a beautiful little park with a derelict bandstand, well-used by dog walkers but with a reputation for crime. The council were concerned about the level of crime and facilitated residents coming together to form a Park Watch group and from this the Friends grew. What does being part of the group involve? Having a passionate interest in the park being well-kept and accessible to all, and getting the bandstand restored. Apart from campaigning about and raising funds for the bandstand we run an annual programme of events called Crowding Out Crime, based on the idea that getting a space well used discourages antisocial activity. The events focus on the birthday party (106 years old in 2009) where we have the local silver band playing, Punch and Judy, miniature steam train rides and a local dancing school. Other events include music, birds of prey and model beehive, a dog show, Easter bonnet making and Halloween. We distribute a newsletter two to three times a year to the surrounding 1,800 homes. We have made it a priority from the beginning to keep local people properly informed about the park to both gain their support and also to encourage a sense of pride and ownership. We have also done our best to highlight the historical importance of the park, which is in a conservation area and has two listed buildings, through newspaper articles and involvement with the local Civic Trust. We also help with gardening and liaise with council officers on any issues that arise. There are nine meetings each year and an AGM. The events are probably the most labour intensive, especially getting out our tents, tables and tea making facilities What do you feel has been your greatest success as a group? There are many! Getting the council’s commitment to restoring the bandstand was a steep hill to climb. Providing a programme of events for the past six years, which has been a stimulus for other Friends groups, has been a great success and achievement, especially considering our resources. How did you gain the funding needed for a park ranger? The ward was given Fair Share (Lottery) funding and the Friends’ desire for a ‘parkie’ was accepted as an early aspiration. We worked extremely hard to get the idea accepted and define the duties. Eventually support from Groundwork enabled the project to go ahead and funded the parkie for two years. The council subsequently employed rangers in all our parks, and I feel this post demonstrated the need for and advantages of having a parkie. What advice would you give friends groups looking to gain funding/sponsorship? Basic running costs are small - especially if you have a computer and broadband. We have a group of passionate ladies who hold coffee mornings, raffles, quizzes, and sell crafts and cakes at park events. Continual applications for small grants have funded the performers and equipment and these came from the council’s Community Fund, Mayor’s Charity, Local Community Foundation and Awards for All. The local Council for Voluntary Service is extremely helpful in providing funding advice and support. Sponsorship attempts have failed, however we have had some unsolicited success from a large local employer. One of our members is an employee and has mobilised volunteer labour from colleagues to help with gardening and fundraising events. What have been the challenges of being involved with the group? Looking back, the first year was the most difficult in getting agreement on priorities and then a steep learning curve of constituting a group and organising an events programme. Since then the biggest challenge has been to get the council’s support for the bandstand and the parkie, as without it neither could go ahead. Council support is crucial as at the end of the day the park belongs to and is managed on behalf of local residents. What does the future have in store for the Friends of North Lodge Park? We are desperately hoping that the funding for the bandstand will finally be in place after all these years very soon. That will release a huge amount of activity in the park and the involvement of many other agencies. Also the council has now employed rangers in all the parks. These events will change the focus of the group’s interest and the way it works. The future remains to be seen – but it will be easier I would say! ^^top |
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COMMUNITY BENCH is the online newsletter of GreenSpace aimed specifically at community groups. It reports on community green space issues across the country and the work of organisations and groups that take an interest in the green spaces. |
