February

Wildlife Area

treesAfter a few weeks off, we are now thinking about restarting work in the gardens.  January is normally a quiet time of year, but already some of the hundred or so bulbs we planted in the autumn are poking their heads through the ground.

Our first scheduled session will be on Saturday 12th March between 10am and 1pm.  If you are on our mailing list, we will send round a reminder a week before with details of the activities planned.

2016 promises to be an exciting year for the Gardens.  The Queens Park Community Council (QPCC) approved an enhanced management contract with Hammersmith Community Gardens Association (HCGA) for the Gardens starting in March. This will mean the regular presence of a community gardener leading volunteer sessions, training and other community activities.  The rose garden will finally get the attention it badly needs.  FQPG will continue to exist and look after the Wildlife Area but we expect to work closely with, and benefit from HCGA’s presence.  

A big thank you to the QPCC councillors who have given up so much of their spare time and worked so hard to make this happen.  More details can be found in the current issue of The Queen’s Park Voice.  A link to the HCGA website is here so you can see some of the other projects they are involved in.

There will be so many opportunities for you to get involved with either FQPG or HCGA.  Please don’t be shy in coming forward with ideas and help to improve green spaces within the Queens Park area.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

If you want reminders nearer the times of our gardening sessions, please check the notice boards near the park gates or sign up for our email alerts.

 

Canal Clean Up Day – Saturday 6th February

Canal Waterways, Local Community, Open Spaces

Get some exercise and do your bit for the community!

We’re throwing down our forks and spades to join the Canal River Trust in a local cleaning day along our tow path. We’d love it if you could come along too!

Get stuck-in at this canal clean up from Kensal Green.

We’ll be clearing graffiti with our new hot water pressure washer, foraging for litter in the back of the towpath, cutting back vegetation and giving the area a spruce up.

Meet us at 10am on the towpath at the back of Sainsbury’s Ladbroke Grove, W10 5AA. The nearest station is Kensal Green which is approximately a 10 minute walk from the meeting point.

The event will run from 10am – 3.30pm, join us for the morning only or bring a packed lunch and stay all day!

Details and invite acceptance here.  More information about the scheme here.
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Woodland Trust and Christmas Cards!

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Winter seems to have arrived, finally.  The winds have taken the last of the leaves away and our maintenance work can begin soon.

We started a very successful scheme to collect Christmas cards this year.  For three weeks in January, we had boxes in Queen’s Park Library and The Beethoven Centre. We collected nearly 2000 cards and took them to Marks & Spencer who will fund the Woodland Trust to plant a tree somewhere in the UK for every 1000 cards collected.

Thank you to everyone who joined in this effort. We were thrilled with the response and hope to repeat it next year, aiming to increase our numbers.  You can read more about the Woodland Trust here.

If you want to know when we are next meeting for a full gardening session, please check the notice boards near the park gates or sign up for our email alerts.

 

Art from Recycling in Westminster

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There’s a beautiful and fascinating exhibition in Millbank at the moment.

Millbank Creative Works have joined forces with the Chelsea College of Arts to create some wonderful works of art with the help of recycling artists in the borough.

You can see more photos on our Facebook page.  Do try to visit as it is on until next Friday, 28th January.

Bin it to Win it!

Local Community

We’re thrilled to see that the Mozart Estate are in the top ten Westminster areas to have improved their recycling habits in the In It To Win It Scheme.

As we write this, they have ‘earned’ £ 719.17 towards their target of £ 1,000.  Residents need to think about what improvements they might like to spend this money on.

If you have any ideas, let the team know here.

You can check the progress of your estate here, where you will also note that the Aveune Gardens Estate and Queen’s Park Court are not doing so well. Come on people. Get recycling!

Just one newspaper from every household could make you reach your target in a matter of months.

Full details here.

Don’t forget there is still time to recycle your christmas cards and trees, More details here.

Christmas Recycling in Queen’s Park!

Local Community

A Happy New Year to everyone!

This year, the Friends of Queen’s Park Gardens are working with Queen’s Park Library and the Beethoven Centre to make more use of your unwanted Christmas Cards.

Marks and Spencer work with the Woodland Trust to collect unwanted greetings cards. For every 1000 cards collected, they will fund the Woodland Trust to plant a tree in the UK. Read more here.

Obviously, you can put them in your usual recycling box or bags but we’re hoping you might like to help this cause. You can leave them in one of the bins which we have put  in the library and Beethoven Centre, knowing that you are helping to plant new trees.  We will empty those bins and take the cards to Marks & Spencer on behalf of the community. The deadline for leaving your cards is 22nd January, 2016.

If you had a real Christmas tree, as with previous years, Westminster & Veolia will be collecting them from a pen near the Ilbert Street park gate by Fourth Avenue between the  2nd and 15th January, 2016.  Please don’t leave them anywhere else in the streets. We are lucky to have this service so please use it responsibly.