Touches of Winter Colour

Winter touches of colour (wine, pink and gold) have been integrated into our shrub beds.  They were provided by Sue Amey,  Northfield & Edgbaston Constituency Parks Manager.  Special thanks to Darrel, DNA Pet Supplies on Wychall Road, who gave us a substantial discount on stainless steel long handled trowels and short handled forks, they were really good quality and just the ticket for this event.  You are a star Darrel!  


Following our meeting on Saturday 3 December, Dinny Weston, Lucy Horsnett and I joined Sue to weed and plant the 3 lower shrub beds.  The soil was light and moist, the sun was shining and the air fresh, as Sue commented, 'excellent gardening weather'.   Dinny pointed out the physical work, following our earlier consultation on the draft plans for Kings Norton Children's Play Area, struck a fine balance.  Lucy has regularly tended to the beds and was moved to see how her hard work was blossoming.    

As we planted, a small child, no more than 4 years of age, whose thoughts left his cycling fun, rode over to thank us for 'making our park look so pretty'.  A passing family also took the time to stop and say how grateful they were for our endeavours, after which, an elderly gentleman,  out for a stroll, thanked us for adding colour, and remarked 'hey you land ladies are still doing a good job, but where are all the men?''  We were finished in about an hour, satisfied it was a job well done.  

Why not have a stroll past and tell us what you think?  


You can get involved too - before the snow sets in, we aim to put in our early flowering spring bulbs.  If you recall last year, the snow hindered progress and the bulbs were stolen!  We aim to hold our bulb planting activity in the New Year, possibly on Friday 13 January 2012 at 11.30am to allow local nursery and school children to join in.  The date does suggest we may just be tempting fate!


The lower shrub beds have been formerly adopted by the Friends of Kings Norton Park, so whether you are female or male, we invite you to pick a weed or two as you pass by.  If you aren't sure which ones are the weeds, please play safe and join us on the 13 January. 


If you, your group or organisation wish help out or sponsor a planting project or any other project, please email us at info.foknp@gmail.com


Lynn Horsnett
Chair  FoKNP

Friends of Kings Norton Park

Our green open spaces, share an abundance of natural wonderments, from shimmering silver birches, bronze beeches to  grand oaks,  from whispering grasses to warbling reeds,  babbling brooks to  meandering rivers and  feathery, furry and amphibian friends.  Each reserve has woven its own distinctive character of little gems to form the rich environmental tapestry we are so fortunate to have upon our Kings Norton doorsteps.

Crossing West Hill Road at Camp Lane, and glimpsing the rhyme of the River Rea as you walk up to meet the beginning of Kings Norton Park, it is just long enough to distract and arouse you from your slumbering stroll, through the former mill lands and pools of the nature reserve.  It is just far enough to prepare yourself for the rush of sweet acreage, which still bears signs of ridge and furrow and the gentle freshness that breezes around you as you step from tarmac to grass.

The Park, like the reserve, displays pockets of naturalness and nurture, but threaded within the Parks curves, rises and plains, are reminisces of arable farms, orchards and harvests, royal battles and lives of the workers fleeting through.   The stories live on in text of the page, snap of the image, memories of the aged and the limbs of our youth.  The Park and its playing fields are ours for our time, to escape from the strains and stresses, to care for and share with, to gift to the future.

The major focus for Friends of Kings Norton Park group has been exploration through conversing with many fascinating folk.  We have unearthed such a rich and diverse range of interesting angles to the Park and we have begun to feel what our green spaces mean to people. 

Our first project was thrust upon us; ‘Save the Shrub Beds’ or be grassed!  Our campaign, after two icy- false starts, resulted in a hugely successful planting event.   Those now relaxing on nearby benches can absorb a bouquet of colourful, sweet scented shrubs.  

Other projects will concentrate on enhancing the River Rea Corridor so a dreamy stroll can continue right through the park, and hopefully, playing fields, to the Kings Norton Toll House, which proudly sits on the Worcester/Stratford Canal Side.  Through initial discussions with Phil Evans and Amanda, our ideas will be planted up as trees, reeds, iris and wild garlic, etc.  Our invaluable resources, Rangers Steve and Adam, and Sue Amey, Constituency Parks Manager, are guiding us on how to encourage a desirable wildlife habitat… so far we know there is little owl, red polls, kingfishers, willow warblers and bats along this stretch, baseline surveys may show us further interesting delights.  The first signs of this natural corridor will be seen through the shoots of a small meadow as the mowing regime is slightly altered.

Other more structural changes are planned, which are equal value to our community, the resurfacing of Kings Norton Playing Fields Car Park, will be a huge improvement on the potholed surface which now lies beneath.   The cost of this will be met with Section 106 monies, as will refurbishments to the Parks, car park and children’s play area. We visited nearby school and nursery children, and hopefully the architects will include some of the dreams of the children.  We should also see some additional benches, bins and repairs to canal feeder bridges.  This work will take place during the cooler months for as long as funding continues to flow.

A reporting process, Parks Watch Scheme, which is a joint initiative involving, KNNR, The Fields Millennium Trust, local PCSO Andy Ryan and the Parks department, will be put in place in 2012.

We have many groups and ind\ividuals to thank you are probably one of those people… so, thank you, and please do continue to support us!

If you would like to join our group, and for all other enquiries, then please email us at: info.foknp@gmail.com

Lynn Horsnett ~ Chair, Friends of Kings Norton Park

Kings Norton Festival '11~ Park Consultation









A great day at Kings Norton Festival, a really well organised event, where we met some very interesting and keen new members!  We had a continuous flow of enthusiastic visitors to our stall - we hardly had time for coffee!  Consultation for the park and playing fields was our main theme with people happy to chat about their likes and concerns, as well share their ideas and wishes for both open spaces.   We will feed back views into the wider exercise, which should result in us acquiring an upgraded children's play area, resurfaced car parks as well much needed extra bins and benches, by this time next year.    Our group visits, meetings and events are on going, so please do email us to find out how you can get involved. 

Weeds are just flowers in the wrong place!

Referring to the flower beds of course!    Thanks to Chris and Park Ranger Adam (left to right above), who weeded and mulched until our newly blooming flowers had breathing space to grow.

Blooming good shrub beds in Kings Norton Park!

How refreshing, we now have four very smart well stocked and mulched shrub beds in Kings Norton Park.

Thank you to everyone who did something to make it happen; our members, the City Parks Department (especially Sue Amey), our Rangers, BOSFA,  Kings Heath Park gardeners, members of Kings Norton Nature Reserve, The Fields Millenium Green Trust,  Kings Norton History Society, the Street Champions, the graffiti team,  Kings Norton Nursery children, Fairway Centre users and local police.

Monday 7th March, threatened frost again but thankfully turned into a warm spring like day.  There was a buzz of excitement as the plants arrived and were laid according to the design plan - gentle sways of sustainable all year colour.   As the pots were laid out the graffiti team were busy giving the benches a lick of smart black paint.  Once the floral shape was drawn we watched a demonstration on how the experts plants and the armed with spades everyone set to it.  We working from the top central bed to the crescent boarder bed, culminating in a central silver birch which delightfully contrasted against the bronze beech hedges.   We progressed  much quicker than imagined so within 3 hours were able to admire the results of our labour and retire to The Camp for a welcoming buffet.

 


The following week’s weather brought warmth, light and rain, which helped establish our shrubs.   The sun was shinning brightly on Sunday 13th March as local residents returned to mulch the planted beds with shavings from last years recycled Christmas trees.  A good 2 inches cover, said to be sufficient to retain moisture and prevent unwanted weeds, was shovelled, barrowed, raked and spread over the surface whilst other volunteers picked up glass, dog droppings and litter which blighted the hedgerows.    We were completed by 2 pm,  It was very rewarding as the area now looks good enough to sit and relax in!



Thank you to everyone involved for your company, effort, tools and time.  We hope you will join us in helping to care for our plants.  We also aim to facilitate fun and educational activities and invite your ideas and contribution in to our park.  Contact us at Info.foknp@gmail.com   follow us at http://friendsofkingsnortonpark.blogspot.com/



The Planning Begins

The first plants are laid out





                                         The hard work starts                                                  

We've already finished our job! (Painting the benches)

Well done chaps!

It's starting to take shape!

Hello, hello, hello!

A great view of our A(handy) work!

Friends of Kings Norton Park get stuck in!

A last, some refreshments!

Looking Good eh!

Where's that missing Begonia gone?

Take your pick!

Our Chair, Lynn, ahh!

Everyone getting stuck in!

Say Cheese!

A finished bed

Finished at last! All this planting was driving me potty!

After the snow, the rain, after the rain the sun!

Hi folks, here is The Friends of Kings Norton Park update.

After the snow, the rain, after the rain the sun! 

The beds are cleared and ready for us to begin our transformation shrub planting.  We have two sessions planned, hopefully both sunny and dry days on Monday 7 March and Sunday 13 March 2011.  

Drop in on any or both days and at any time between 11am - 3pm or stay for the day! 

FREE EVENT OPEN TO ALL

Bring your spades, forks, family & friends

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The Fields Millennium Green Trust

We also supported Maggie & Clive Sweet at The Fields Millennium Green Trust on Sunday 20th February at their Den-Building afternoon.

We had great fun helping the kids build dens out of freshly coppiced willow and hazel. It took some of us right back to our own childhood! All of the kids and parents who turned up that day were fantastic! The team who designed and built the winning Den did it virtually all on their own, with a little bit of encouragement from Lynn and Chris! Check out our photo's below!

We at FoKNP are keen to develop and promote outdoor environmental education experiences for children of all ages - especially in light of the devastating cuts in environmental education in schools and outdoor centres!

If you too are unhappy at these cuts you might want to check out http://www.coalitionofresistance.com/ and make your voice heard!





And the winner is...er..well...us actually! 

The Fantastic runners-up! Good enough to live in eh!

Proud Winners!



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Environmental Conference at the Lickey Hills

On Saturday 19th February a couple of us attended an environmental conference at the Lickey Hills Centre. It was hosted by the Rangers Service in conjunction with FEI~Forest Education Initiative ~ http://www.foresteducation.org/.

The highlight of the day was an inspirational talk by Sue Fenoughty from the National Association for Environmental Education (NAEE) ~ http://www.naeeuk.plus.com/index.htm.

We were really struck at how passionate this group were in delivering their aims of supporting those teaching environmental education. Watch this space for more on this in the near future.

Kings Norton Farmers Market 8/10/2011

Hi All

I would like to start by saying a BIG HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who turned up to support us at Saturdays Kings Norton Farmers Market! It was a fantastic day with lots of interest from people wanting to get involved or show support in some way or another!

I would like to give special thanks to Elizabeth & Carmel from Kings Norton Farmers Market for providing us with a stall. I would also like to thank Sylvia and Andy for their help in setting up. Delia, Sharon and Chris for their help and most of all everyone who stopped by to say hello, to sign our questionnaire, to give us invaluable feedback and to join us by becoming members.

Our planting events in November and December 2010 were unfortunately cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions however, with our fingers crossed, we hope to rearrange them for sometime in early Spring, so please check back to this site for details.

2011 looks like being an exciting year for the park and we look forward to having fun and working with you all!