More pictures of our Tree Planting

The Garston and District Historical Society has put some pictures from our Tree Planting day on its Flickr site.

Here is a link to the stream of pictures.

Tree planting

The Friends of Garston Park were out today (Thursday) planting trees on the part of the park at the side of the leisure centre.

Joined by some very keen youngsters from Gilmour Juniors we planted some very young trees as well as some more mature ones and some shrubs.

It was rather wet and windy but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Big thanks to the Woodland Trust and the Mersey Forest for the trees and also to the Mersey Forest for the practical help.

Today was the first of two tree planting sessions which are themselves just part of our work on protecting and improving our wonderful open space.

Wildflower meadow for Garston Park

Tomorrow (19th November) local brownies will join the Friends of Garston Park to create a wildflower meadow near the swing park.

They'll be planting seeds and bulbs as one of the first of two planned wildflower areas.

The planting's due to happen at 1pm.

Art project meeting

If you are interested in the Art Project mentioned in an earlier post (and you don't need to be an artist to get involved) come along to our first meeting on Thursday 24th November at 6pm in the Leisure Centre.

There'll be some follow up meetings in January.

Our next meeting

Our next meeting of the Friends of Garston Park is Friday 18th November at 6 30 at Long Lane Church. It's open to anyone who wants to get involved or find out more so do come along. The Church is at the Woolton Road end of Long Lane, near the shops.

And on Friday 19th November we are having one of our regular "litter picks" on the park. We meet at 10 30 outside the leisure centre. Again do come along if you want to help out.

The Great Art Project - do join in!

FOGP is working on a project to camouflage the screens around the outdoor pitches at the Leisure Centre. Some sides of the pitches will have shrubs planted around them, but the sides facing the car park will be painted.

The idea has 2 parts: (1) to paint a Garston skyline on boards along the top of the screens and (2) below and around it will be boards representing how people express health and well-being in Garston. School children and other young people will do (2).

The skyline
This work will be done by community groups in the area. Small groups will work with community artists, starting with taking digital photos and working up to designing the final skyline. You don’t have to have a digital camera to take part.

You do have to commit to a number of sessions for the work. There will be a preliminary meeting in November and work will start in January 2012, for completion in May.

If you are interested and have ideas about what should be included in the skyline, please contact Gwen White, gwen.white@wmail.freeserve.co.uk If you give your email or telephone details, you will be sent the date of the preliminary
meeting.

We really want your involvement and ideas. Please pass this information on to anyone else who might be interested.

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who supported out stall at the Garston Park Fun Day las month.

We raised money to reinvest in park improvements and we managed to meet lots of people and chat about our work.

The organisers of the Fun Day are already thinking about next year so hopefully we'll meet even more people in 2012!

Meanwhile the park plays host to another Fun Day, organised by the extended schools service, on 2nd August.

Our next meeting

Our next meeting , of Friends of Garston Park, is this Friday (17th). We meet at 6 30 at Long Lane Church. Anyone who wants to get involved is welcome.

We'll also be out in the park on Saturday doing one of our regular litter picks.

Bakers wanted!

Garston Park Fun Day is nearly here. Running from 11 till 2 on 25th June there should be loads to do for everyone.

The organisers are giving away free tea and cake. But they also want bakers.

If you are a keen baker and want to donate some cakes that would be great. Please drop them off between 9 and 10 on the day at the " tea tent".

Help needed for Fun Day

25th June is the next Garston Park Fun Day.

We'll be there with our stall.

This year we want to include a tombola so we're appealing for anyone with a gift they'd like to donate as a prize to get in touch. We're after books to sell as well.

If you think you can help out, you can drop things off at 80 Long Lane or drop us an e mail and we will sort out picking things up. E mail Paula at paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov.uk

Join us to help keep our area clean - Garston Litter Pick

A group of churches in Garston are organising another Litter Pick in our area later this month.

The Friends of Garston Park will be joining people from all over our area to help tidy up the park and some of the streets in Garston.

Organised by local churches, and starting from Long Lane Church, the Litter Pick is on Saturday 14th May. It kicks off with a breakfast from 9 at the church (which was very good last year - ed)

There's no obligation to stay all day and anyone who wants to join in is very welcome.

Litter picks, gloves, bags etc are all provided. We can't guarantee the weather but it was good last year!

Information is available from the Pastor at Long Lane Church - nick@longlane.org

New benches in!

Our new benches are now installed on the Park. Some new places to sit in quieter parts of the space.

So we now have the new noticeboard and the new seats. Not bad for some spring improvements (although more are to come)

We raised money for these improvements by book sales and raffles, but also by applying to funds. We are very grateful to the Grassroots Fund, the Councillors Community Initiative Fund and to Liverpool City Council and Glendales for their help with installation.

Meeting.. and litter pick

Our next General meeting is this Friday (15th April)

We meet at Long Lane Church at 6 30pm.

Some of us are committee members but anyone is welcome and we are keen to hear from and meet new people.

If you want a bit of exercise, why not join us on Saturday (16th April) for a Litter Pick on the park. We meet at 10 30 am outside the Leisure Centre.

Noticeboard here.. and benches coming

Have you seen our new noticeboard? We raised money for it and it's great to see it there.

Not only does it mark one of the park entrances, it means we have a place to put up posters - not just about the Friends but about other community things.

Here's a picture (admitedly not very good as it was a bit sunny when we took it) but do go and have a look for yourself.

Meanwhile, the bases are in for the benches and wer're all impatiently waiting for the seats themselves.

Benches and new noticeboard due this week!

If you see work going on on the park today, its Glendale getting ready to install our new park benches.

We expect our new noticeboard to be put up this week too.

As soon as we have some, we'll post some photographs

Garston Park Fun Day

There's a planning meeting coming up next week for the next Garston Park Fun Day.

Last year's was brilliant and we met loads of people at our stall (we were the ones with the bird boxes and the books for sale)

A few of us are off to the planning meeting for the whole event so if you've got thoughts about it, or about what you'd like us to do, please do let us know.

You can post a comment or, drop an e mail to paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov.uk (and she'll make sure other committee members get it too)

Meeting reminder

Our next meeting is this Friday (18th March) at 6 30 pm at Long Lane Church.

Do come along if you are interested.

Next Friends Meeting- 18th March

The Friends of Garston Park meets on the third Friday of every month at Long Lane Church. This is 18th March this month. Strictly speaking these alternate between Committee meetings and General meetings, but if you are interested in getting involved you are welcome to come to any. We meet at 6 30pm.

If you want to get involved, but can't make it to the next meeting, please give us your details by either posting on here or e mailing paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov.uk.

New benches and noticeboard due this month

Our long awaited new benches and the new noticeboard for the park entrance are due to arrive this month.

We're really excited about this.

Many people told us that they felt the park lacked places to sit in "quieter areas". They also felt that the park needed somewhere else to put up community notices and information.

We're not sure of the exact day these will be installed but do look out for them.

Liverpool City Council has also agreed to do a bit of work to make the existing benches down the middle of the park look a bit nicer.

AGM and Litter Pick - 18 and 19 Feb

A reminder that the Friends of Garston Park is having its AGM, followed by a general meeting on Friday 18th February at 6 30 pm at Long Lane Church.

Do come along if you are interested.

We'll also be out doing one of our regular litter picks of the park the following day (19th Feb) Do join us for some light exercise which makes the park look even better. We meet outside the Leisure Centre at 10 30 am, but if you haven't been before, feel free to get in touch before the date and time to let ys know you are coming.

Happy New Year - lots to do!

This is a big year for Friends of Garston Park.

We've got new benches to put in. We've got a new noticeboard to put up. We've got the wildflower meadow to plant. We've got repairs to sort out and argue for.

And later in the year there'll be another Garston Park Fun Day - and we'll be there.

The Friends of Garston park got together to ensure more local ownership of the park and to make sure it is protected, improved and loved.

Do join us.

Our next meeting, also our AGM, is on the 18th February. Details will be posted here nearer the time.

Meanwhile though if you want to get in touch now, please post your details on this blog or e mail paula.keaveney@liverpool.gov.uk.

We look forward to hearing from you!