Ye who have a spark in your veins of cockney spirit, smile or mourn acccording as you take things well or ill;— Bold Britons, we are now on Shooter's Hill!
The Friends of Eaglesfield Park will be holding their first, (much-needed) annual pond clearing session next Sunday, 1st November and would welcome help.
POND UPDATE Thanks to Quaggy Environmentalists for coming to explore the pond this morning and give us some advice on how to proceed. Sunday 1st November will now be our first clearance session. If you would like to help do let us know. Waterproofs, waders, boots, thick gloves and tools would all be useful if you are coming and we will work in small groups to comply with social distancing so do let us know how many will be in your bubble. Meeting at 10am at the Lily pond. It was beautiful up there this morning and we spotted loads of fungi. If you work with a youth group, corporate volunteers scheme or other network who would like to know about Sunday or future dates do please send us a message here. We would love to have your help and can talk through a safe way to get involved.
It’s a lot of fun, and it will be very satisfying to make some space for next year’s family of ducklings.
Duck and ducklings in the Eaglesfield Pond duck house
The Friends of Eaglesfield Park‘s rescheduled pond clearance will now take place this Sunday, 19th January 2020, between 9.00am and 2.00pm, and they would welcome volunteers to help. Bridget sent me details:
Friends of Eaglesfield Park Need You! Annual Pond Clearing Can you spare any time between 9am – 2pm on Sunday 19th January 2020 to take part in our Annual Pond Clearing? (Re-arranged from November) Residents and park users will be joining forces with Greenwich Council Parks Department staff to help clear the overgrowth of plants in and around the pond so that it can continue to thrive when Spring comes, and new life begins! Giving even an hour of your time would be so helpful. Bring gardening gloves, garden rakes and forks if you have them. Just turn up on the day or for more information call: 07734810402
There are more details on the Friends’ website, together with information about their plans for the refurbishment of the park playground. The Friends are also on Facebook and Twitter.
While the Parks team has secured resources they don’t have the all important waders!
Look out for a new date in January.
The Friends of Eaglesfield Park will be clearing the park lily pond and the garden around it tomorrow, 24th November, between 9.00am and 2.00pm, and would welcome volunteers to help. They wrote:
Can you spare any time between 9am to 2pm this Sunday 24 November to take part in the ‘Autumn Pond Clearing’ and help keep Eaglesfield pond a haven for wildlife and a place we can all enjoy? Residents and park users will be joining forces with Greenwich Council Parks Department staff to help clear the overgrowth of plants in and around the pond so that it can continue to thrive when spring comes. Giving even an hour of your time would be so helpful. Just turn up on the day or for more information please call: 07734 810402 and see the attached PDF. Please bring gardening gloves, garden rakes and forks if you have them. Thank you and please share this message with friends, family and neighbours!
Do pop along and help the Friends get the pond ready for winter.
Local volunteers working on the pond in March 2012
The grand opening of Eaglesfield Park Lilly Pond on 15th June 2012
The Friends of Eaglesfield Park and some local parents are planning to clean-up and paint the children’s playground in the park this weekend and would welcome help.
Bridget from the Friends sent me details:
Friends of Eaglesfield Park need your help We want to tidy up our playground in time for the summer, as we think it’s looking a little tired and old. Can you volunteer some time? Clean Up: Sat 20th July. Any time between 10am-1pm Paint: Sunday 21st July. Any time between 3-6pm. We will provide as much equipment as we can. But if you can bring any of the following that would be great: wire brushes, shovels/hoes, brooms, paint brushes/trays and anything else that will help us to prepare and paint the equipment or clean the floors/surfaces. Light refreshments will be provided. So, stick on your old clothes, bring along your friends and family and we hope to see you over the weekend! For further information e-mail foepse18@gmail.com
Sound like a good way to spend some time in lovely Eaglesfield Park.
The Friends are also hoping to set up a team to begin fundraising over the coming winter to get some new play equipment into the park next Spring. Do get in touch with them if you can help with this.
It’s over 6 years since the restored lilly pond in Eaglesfield Park was opened on 15th June 2012, and it’s in need of some TLC. Bridget from the Friends of Eaglesfield Park wrote with a request for help with clearing the pond on Saturday:
Eaglesfield Park – Autumn Pond Clearing
Can you spare any time between 8am – 3pm on Saturday 20th October to take part in an Autumn Pond Clearing?
Could you help us keep Eaglesfield pond a haven for wildlife and a place we can all enjoy?
Residents and other park users will be joining forces with Greenwich Council Parks Department staff to help clear the overgrowth of plants in the pond and tidy up around the edges so that it can continue to thrive when Spring comes.
Giving even an hour of your time would be so helpful.
Eaglesfield Park, which for anyone that doesn’t know it lies right at the top of Shooters Hill bordered by Eaglesfield Road, Foxcroft Road and Cleanthus Road. The pond is tucked away at the far side of the park nearest to the water tower at the top of Shooters Hill. It was restored as a wildlife pond with Lottery funding secured after 4 years of campaigning and fundraising by the Friends of Eaglesfield Park in 2011. Carrying out a major clearing of the plant growth in and around the pond this autumn is vital for the sustainability of the pond. The Friends of Eaglesfield Park would greatly appreciate any help that can be offered.
You can just turn up at the pond at the pond anytime between 8am-3pm on the Saturday or if you’d like more information you can call Bridget Imeson on 07734810402.
Protective gloves will be available, and we have a few pairs of waders for the more intrepid!
There’s been a pond in the current location since the 1700s when it was part of a pleasure gardens attached to the old Bull Hotel, which was located near where the water tower is now. It was a huge achievement by the Friends of Eaglesfield Park to get the funding necessary to restore it as a wildlife pond, but a shame it has got a little bit overgrown. It would be great to get the over-grown water plants out of the way before winter, and there’s even time to do a little bit of work on the pond and still get to the People’s Vote March for the Future in London!
Here are some of my photographic sequence showing the restoration of the pond and how it changes through the seasons.
Father Christmas arrives at Woodland Farm, pulled by Bob the pony
This year’s Christmas card photo was taken at Woodlands Farm’s Christmas Fair a few weeks ago, and shows the arrival of Father Christmas in a carriage drawn by Bob the pony. Once again I’d like to combine my season’s greetings and best wishes for next year with those of the Friends of Eaglesfield Park.
Madeleine sent me the Friends’ card, which is included below, and has a brief update:
We have planted approx. 2,500 spring bulbs, but still need help with remainder in early January (hope not too late!). Plans are in hand to clean pond and reduce lilies and thin water margins. Keep up to date with our blog at http://eaglesfieldpark.org/
The Friends of Eaglesfield Park will be planting daffodils and native bluebells in the meadow around the lilly pond between 11.00am and 3.00pm on Saturday, 28th November. Madeleine wrote with details:
We will be meeting up at the pond on Saturday 28th November from 11.00am onwards to plant native bluebells and daffodils. Weather permitting !
Can you help us ? Whatever time you can spare would be greatly appreciated. May we ask you to bring your own tools – e.g. spades/hand trowel/gloves and don’t forget the wellies.
The crocuses planted a couple of years ago now provide a great display and we would now like to add native bluebells and daffodils in the meadow surrounding the pond. We hope you agree they will provide beautiful spring colour, and enhance the tranquillity of this area of Eaglesfield Park.
The Parks and Open Spaces of the Royal Borough of Greenwich have kindly donated 2,000 native English Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) and 2,000 Daffodils (Narcissus pseudo narcissus) but, of course, they need to be planted!
Please join us.
The Friends are also planning maintenance of the pond itself, such as thinning out the lillies and other pond plants, working with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Froglife and Ponds UK (Aquatic Management Ltd).
Autumnal Eaglesfield
The Pet Cemetery Charlton
If you’re not at the Climate Change March on Sunday the Pet Cemetery is well worth a visit – to see the amazing transformation the Friends of the Pet Cemetery have made to what was a neglected area just a couple of years ago, and to help them plant some bulbs. Jean Patrick, the Friends’ Secretary e-mailed:
On Sunday, we are holding a bulb planting session. We have received generous donations of hundreds of bulbs that we would like to plant all in one go if possible. If you are able to spare some time next Sunday, between 10am-3.30pm, we would be very grateful, even if you can only pop in for 30 minutes. Please bring a trowel, gloves and kneeling mat if needed.
The Cemetery is looking really good: lots of colourful plants, donated by local people, Thompson’s Garden Centre and the Parks Department; a number of new bird and bug boxes; two new benches from the Royal Borough of Greenwich; and a memorial wall for plaques to commemorate deceased pets. The old concrete bench bases from around the trees have been removed and the Shedders from Men in Sheds will soon be creating new circular seating to replace them, partially funded by a grant from Metropolitan Public Gardens Association.
The Friends are currently setting up their own web site: I’ll publicise the URL as soon as it’s ready.
Anyone who would like to have a plaque put on the memorial wall to remember a pet should contact either the Chair of the Friends, Liz McDermott on mcdermott_liz @hotmail.com or the Secretary Jean Patrick on jmp179@skye.com for prices and other details.
The weather for the weekend is forecast to be “Fine and dry with settled conditions,” so a good weekend to get out into our local parks. Both Shrewsbury Park and Eaglesfield Park have community activities this weekend.
On Saturday the Friends of Shrewsbury Park are having one of their regular tidy-up sessions. Kathy wrote with details:
If you can spare an hour to help clean up the park by picking up rubbish and cutting back brambles, please meet this Saturday at 11am at the Garland Road entrance to Dothill. Please bring your gardening gloves and secateurs.
Then on Sunday the Friends of Eaglesfield Park have things going on all day. In the morning they have one of their clean-up sessions at the lilly pond, assisted from 11.00am by Youth Volunteers from NCS (National Citizen Service), then after lunch another free Tai Chi session led by Tai Chi teacher Chew-Yeen. Following the Tai Chi, Chew-Yeen has organised a “cake sharing” for a donation of £2 in support of MacMillan Cancer Nurses. We’ll need to bring our own flask of tea or coffee
The details are all on the Friends’ blog, but the key times are:
10.30 am – Monthly pond and meadow tidy up and weeding.
11.00 am – 3.30 pm Youth volunteers from NCS (National Citizen Service) weeding and community survey.
1.00 – 2.00 pm Tai Chi session.
Following the successful Tai Chi session at Eaglesfield Park’s picnic last month the Friends of Eaglesfield Park have arranged two more Tai Chi sessions, the first tomorrow (Sunday 23rd August) at 2.00pm. Madeleine from the Friends wrote with details:
Following a wonderful Tai Chi session held as part of the Parksfest event on 12th July and the requests of local residents, Chew-Yeen has very kindly offered to come back to Eaglesfield Park to run 2 free classes for anyone to join in. Chew-Yeen has been practicing Tai Chi for over 20 years. She is a member of the British Council of Martial Arts Federation and a European Tai Chi gold medal winner.
Tai chi combines slow and gentle movements with deep breathing and relaxation. It can help to reduce stress, improve balance and general mobility, and increase muscle strength in the legs. You can get started even if you aren’t in top shape or the best of health. Come and join in on: Sunday 23rd August and Sunday 27th September (both days 2 – 3 pm)
A wonderful opportunity to try a few Tai Chi moves and learn how it can improve your health and well being and according to a local resident at the Eaglesfield Park Parkfest 2015 “Trying out tai chi for the first time and in such lovely surroundings with such a beautiful view was a very special experience’”
There is no need to “book a place”, just turn up. However it would be helpful if you could let Chew-Yeen know if you are interested so that she has an idea of the number of people to expect or if you need further information. Please email her at: chewyeenlawes@yahoo.com .
Having tried out a few Tai Chi moves, why not linger a while – relax and enjoy the peaceful ambience of the park and a “communal picnic” to share with other participants. Perhaps you could bring a “covered dish” – some french bread and cheese, or mixed salad or cakes or fruit or a few sandwiches or your very own “signature dish”. It’s a great way to make new friends and has proved popular on previous occasions. Don’t forget the flask of tea or coffee !
It really is worth coming to see what Tai Chi is all about and Chew-Yeen’s enthusiasm and expertise may well inspire you too!
And it is Free !
Please note however ………… Weather permitting ! Check our blog www.eaglesfieldpark.org on the morning of 23rd August and 27th September for cancellation due to bad weather.
Let’s hope the showers forecast for tomorrow afternoon hold off .
The Friends of Eaglesfield Park are holding a “Picnic in the Park” on Sunday 12th July, with entertainment from a Brazilian/Latin band and a display of Tai Chi. Madeleine from the Friends wrote with details:
As part of the Parksfest 2015 celebrations Friends of Eaglesfield Park would like to invite everyone to Eaglesfield Park on Sunday 12th July between 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm to relax to the sunny music of Brazilian/ Latin band ‘Roots BR’ and see a display of Tai Chi with Chew-Yeen Lawes – and maybe even learn a few moves!
The aim of the afternoon is simply relaxation and well being. Learn how to improve our lives with the techniques of Tai Chi. Take time out to enjoy the company of friends, family and neighbours. Listen to the rhythms of Brazilian/Latin music. Experience the peace and tranquillity of Eaglesfield Park.
So, why not forget about cooking Sunday Lunch and instead bring a picnic and comfy chair, and chill out for a couple of hours! But don’t forget the sun lotion.
For the more energetic, you could also try Pond Dipping – we have the basic equipment.
Bring a picnic
Rediscover how the ancient martial art of Tai Chi can improve your life focus and restore calm and balance. No special equipment is required to join them. All it takes is your body and a willingness to learn.
Throughout the afternoon there will also be opportunities for Pond Dipping – come and see what you can discover. We have basic equipment and reference guides.
I’m looking forward to learning some Tai Chi in the park. Let’s hope the weather stays fine.
Friends of Eaglesfield Park’s photo of Tai Chi in the park
