Dig out the boots and join one of the Spring Walks and Talks planned: Birds, trees, flora foraging and bats!
Full details for each walk will be up in the park notice boards, emailed to members and on this site as they come up.
All walks are now free but donations to support park projects are gratefully accepted.
For those of you who couldn’t attend, here is a summary of the business part of the meeting. The talk by Andy Brockman that followed it was very interesting and brought up questions for discussion. He has forwarded links for those of you who’d like more info …
Chair’s welcome by Kris Inglis
Kris ran through the year’s events so far and thanked all who had taken part or been involved in the organization
Maintenance of bird and bat boxes by members has been completed due to natural wear and tear as well as damage by other birds and squirrels. All ladder work is done in partnership with the council.
Kris mentioned a tree identification walk that local Beavers group have taken part in. It is hoped that Beavers, Cubs and Scouts will help with some grounds maintenance in the park and which will in turn enable them achieve badges to recognize their efforts.
A Brighton parks group had heard about our water fountain installation and have been in contact to find out about the fundraising aspects and process.
Kris ended by asking that Friends of the park continue to respect and appreciate the space and encourage others to do so.
The management committee was introduced. All agreed to re-stand and were voted in unanimously*. If anyone is interested in joining the committee they are welcome to come along to a meeting and decide whether they’d like to contribute.
Treasurer’s Report
Sonja O’Sullivan circulated and spoke to the annual accounts, taking questions at the end. A Parksfest grant from the council for the summer festival helped pay for a number of things but the underspend will be returned in due course.
A discussion covering the promotion of the event and the need for a generator followed and the management committee agreed to take the feedback on board.
New activities for next year were detailed and welcomed.
The committee will canvass opinion on the next improvement project for the park via email.
The business meeting over, our guest speaker Andy Brockman spoke on addressing heritage crime locally.
https://www.police.uk/search/?
This is the page for the Shooters Hill Neighbourhood Team [As you can see they cover Shrewsbury Park, Eaglesfield, and Oxleas].
https://www.police.uk/
This looks at the issue of Heritage Crime in broad terms,
https://historicengland.org.
This is a guide to reporting a heritage crime [the same principles apply to a wildlife or environmental crime too]. https://historicengland.org.
This is a guide to making sites more secure. It is mostly about buildings, but there is also material which is useful in talking about securing open spaces like Shrewsbury Park. Worth quoting if speaking to the Council or Police about any security issues
Once again we were blessed with warm sunshine for our second Iyengar Yogathon in Shrewsbury Park. 25 participants donated to Greenpeace to take part and were energised by performing 108 sequences of yoga poses in quick succession, each group of 9 sequences being led by different teachers. Half way through, the sun emerged as though it responded to our salutations. After our strenuous efforts we sat in the sun in beautiful Shrewsbury Park against the backdrop of the fabulous oak trees and the sounds of the gently waving leaves eating delicious Cuban food – most welcome.
A representative from Greenpeace talked about what we can all do to limit our use of plastic, which is having such a deleterious effect on our planet. Many thanks to Kris Inglis, who liaises with Priscilla and the Council so that this event can take place. Thanks also to Ron and Paul for sorting out the gazebos. Well over £750 was raised for Greenpeace.
What is the significance of 108? The number 108 is sacred and significant in many ways, appearing in many disciplines from astronomy to yoga: The number 108 appears in ancient, sacred texts. For example, there are 108 Upanishads and 108 Tantras, and Mala bead necklaces have 108 beads, which are used to count during meditation. In Ayurveda, there are 108 sacred points on the body. In numerology, 108 equals 9, which symbolizes universal love, eternity and awakening. In astronomy, the distance between the Sun and Earth is roughly 108 times the Sun’s diameter.
Written by Cressida Senkus, Iyengar yoga teacher and FSP member
This photo is of the eager Bat-seekers that came along for our annual Bat Walk 7 September. Les had more bat facts for us and as usual a pipistrelle buzzed the crowd prompting the walk to start!
We explored the different environments in the park, getting our night vision sorted out and enjoying the pleasant weather. A tawny owl followed our progress for awhile (looking for mates not humans) and bats came out to display their aerobatic skills while gobbling their evening meal!
Thank you to everyone who managed the pre-booking. Please keep an eye out for another walk in May if you missed this one. And thanks for the donations on the night, these go towards a second bat detector.
If you would like to borrow the FSP detector for a week please follow link http://fspark.org.uk/…/Terms-and-conditions-for-loan-of-FSP-bat-detector.docx
Have a look at the Bat Conservation Trust website for loads more about these important creatures. www.bats.org.uk
It’s time to adjust your night vision for the now annual Bat Walk. After a short intro – next to the notice board by the Plum Lane car park – Les Clark will lead the walk through the woods and glades where the bats hang out. Bat detectors supplied!
This time we ask that you book your free place in advance using;
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bat-walk-tickets-48480937790
A maximum of 50 people allows everyone to get the most out of the experience. If you don’t have computer access please drop a note through the door at 189 Plum Lane with your name and phone number.
Wear suitable footwear (maybe bug spray too) and bring a small torch if you have one. The walk is approximately 1 1/2 hours. Dogs are welcome if kept on a lead.
In case you don’t know firsthand, the Summer Spree was a huge success, the quintessential Summer Afternoon in the Park. And the Astronaut Training was a delightful addition.
Special thanks to the Management Committee: Ron Senkus, Sonja O’Sullivan, Iris White, Sandra Bauer, Paul Buckley, Alan Deacon and Andy King. They pulled out all the stops and made the event happen in style.
All of us would like to thank the members of FSP (and their tireless friends and families) who delivered leaflets, baked, took photos for the competition, suggested ideas, put up gazebos, dragged chairs and tables and boxes around, ran errands, ran stalls, served endless thirsty people and spread their cheerfulness in what was a truly neighbourhood event.
You may not know but the extensive allotments at the edge of the Park have always been a substantial portion of Shrewsbury Park. On Sunday during the Summer Spree allotmenteers are offering tours of the plots and plenty of advice about growing your own.
Turn up at the Allotment gate at the end of Rowton Road or check at the FSP Membership stall at the Festival for directions.
FSP and Woodlands Farm have collaborated to offer a relaxing ramble through these two diverse green spaces. It will be a meandering walk discovering varied habitats, plants, wildlife and atmospheres.
Walk begins at the car park entrance to Shrewsbury Park on Plum Lane and includes the woods, Dothill allotments and nature reserve. We then follow Barry Gray through the Dothill gate to Woodlands Farm taking in more woods, hedgerows and the hay meadows in full bloom. Endpoint is the café with refreshments available! You can retrace the route to the Park or take the 89 or 486 bus back up the hill.
Cost: £2 – Children up to 16 go free. We will be walking through fields containing ewes and lambs, so sorry, NO DOGS allowed on this walk.
Wear sturdy shoes and clothes for the weather on the day. Any questions about accessibility etc. please contact werfs@gmail.com
Meet at Garland Road entrance This free walk will take about 1.5 hours and finish at the car park off Plum Lane.
Kevin Godby of GCDA leads the walk, suitable for beginners or those who want to revisit his Autumn foraging trail of last year in a new season. You will learn to identify around 18 common forageable species, be shown where they grow and taste some of them too!
You may also bring along something to take home the things you come across, if you wish. A small teaspoon might be handy too…
Please wear suitable footwear and be aware we will be walking uphill. This walk is aimed at adults. If you have questions about the route re mobility please contact werfsp@gmail.com so we can help. No dogs, please.
This is an all-weather walk!
Our Bird Walk was a success (despite grey skies) with an enthusiastic group of members plus some visiting RSPB spotters invited by Stuart. Between them all 23 different species were identified. The visitors were impressed by the habitats and birds Shrewsbury Park has to offer.
Nicky Wilson of RSPB Bexley wrote a wonderfully detailed and interesting report and graciously agreed to share it, so I’ll leave you to reading it yourself on this link. Thank you so much , Nicky!
This is the Police UK Crime statistics site which will show what is going on in your area. Just enter the post code you are interested in.
