More information at the CitySave website.
This event covers a lot more than the ‘secret’ garden squares of London and we recommend studying the full places to visit, after you’ve spend an hour or two gardening with us in the wildlife area, of course.
We were very proud to be part of the Chelsea Fringe on Saturday 23 May.
The early weather was not as inviting as we might have wished but the Community Council were out in force, administering refreshments to all and seeds to the younger visitors.
Rain is a friend to the Wildlife Area as it helps the seeds thrive and flowers bloom.
Ray cut the ribbon on our official opening of the Grand Marigold Bug Hotel which he has worked so hard to create with the help of other gardeners.
Those showers also gave some beautiful fragrance to the Rose Garden.
We are very proud to be part of the Chelsea Fringe as on Saturday 23 May from 1 – 4pm you can see what the green fingered residents of Queen’s Park have been getting up to.
Visit Harrington Court Allotments and come along to our very first Garden Tea Party in the Wildlife Area at Queen’s Park Gardens.
While you have a drink and a piece of cake you can learn about what we’ve been doing in our local Wildlife Area. Try your hand at helping out with a bit of weeding while your children can join our take-a-seed-home planting project, and celebrate the grand opening (or possibly help out with the finishing touches to the barn-raising) of the Grand Marigold Bug Hotel!
You can find an entry form here or at the new Community Council website.
Alternatively, pick up a form from Queen’s Park Library or the Beethoven Centre on Third Avenue. Please remember that you can enter your own garden and also nominate entries of friends, family and neighbours who may be shy of declaring their talents! Judging will take place the w/b Monday 15 June and prize-winners will be presented with their certificates at the Queen’s Park Festival on 1st August
There will be lots of heath information on hand, as well as other fun activities throughout the park.
As you walk into the park you will be handed an unresolved health scenario to solve. You take your scenario to different stalls until you find the stall that can resolve your scenario. Once it’s resolved you are given either a token or a raffle ticket. Tokens can be exchanged for other activities in the park, see below.
Tokens can be exchanged for:
Pony Rides, Bucking Bronco, Face Painting, Henna, Massage, Balloon modelling, Climbing wall and Bucking bronco…and loads more.
Raffle prizes:
Jubilee membership, Fitness first membership, Pamper hamper, Meal at Nandos or Meal at Alice House…and so much more.
Wait!!! There’s MORE! Queens Park Rangers will be teaching football skills, African dance taster session, Yoga taster session and Music sessions…and so much more.
I just reserved and borrowed an audio book from Queen’s Park Library. They transferred it from another branch for me. I paid one credit for the reservation and one credit to borrow it for three weeks.
How will you spend your Time Credits?
You don’t have any? You can earn some this weekend AND get fit at the same time. Top up your Vitamin D in the sunshine, if we get any.
For more details, check the Gardening Sessions page.
Take a look at the latest Time Credits brochure here.
We are thrilled to learn that St John’s Church will be holding lunch-time and summer evening concerts. The concerts are free, with a retiring collection.
You can find St John’s here.
First lunch time concert
Thursday 7th May 1.05pm
Laura Snowden, guitar. Pieces by John Dowland and Federico Moreno Torrobo
Evening concert
Saturday 23rd May at 7.30pm
Programme:
1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – 12 Duos for two violin, K487
2. Jean-Marie Leclair – Sonata for 2 Violins in E Minor, Op.3, No. 5
3. Franz Joseph Haydn – Violin Duo No.1 , Op.99
4. Sergey Prokofiev – Sonata for 2 Violins in C Major, Op.56
Followed by drinks
We have planned a session of litter picking and cutting back vegetation along the towpath from Willesden Junction to Kensal Green (approx. two miles).
We’ll meet at 9:30am by the corner of Third Avenue and Ilbert Street, by the noticeboard at the entrance to Queen’s Park Gardens, Then, as a group, take the bus to Willesden Junction. Alternatively, you can meet us at the towpath by Old Oak Lane Bridge, NW10 6DN.
The stretch of waterway we will be walking along is approximately two miles in total, so please remember to wear sensible warm clothes and sturdy shoes or boots (if you have them). All equipment will be provided and Hi-Vis clothing as this is a high traffic area used by cyclists. Hot drinks will be provided.
We expect to finish at Sainsburys Kensal Green around 2pm. If you’re not too tired, we can walk/take the bus, on to Little Venice where the IWA Canalway Cavalcade Festival begins on Saturday. Click here for more details.
Wildlife Area Session Saturday 9th May
Our scheduled session at the Wildlife Area. We will be weeding where required and preparing the ground around our newest project – an Insect Hotel. The hotel structure is made from wooden palettes and the interior from left over wood, bamboo and straw. Anything which insects can burrow into.
Queen’s Park Gardens Bat Survey Tuesday 12th May
Meeting at 8:40pm on the corner of Third Avenue and Ilbert Street by the noticeboard, at Queen’s Park Gardens. We are walking a set path around the park to determine if there are bats nesting or foraging in the park. We will be joined by a member of the London Wildlife Trust who has offered to take us on a walk with bat detectors.
What a wonderful success! The Community Council, working with the co-operation of Veolia, Westminster Council and the Friends of Queen’s Park Gardens, organised a massive day of action in our beautiful neighbourhood.
For the volunteers, the day began in the Wildlife Area of Queen’s Park Gardens, where we had a quick health & safety talk, then tooled up with special t-shirts, green bags and hoops, pooper scoopers, litter pickers, gloves, and for some executive volunteers, stencils and a can or two of spray chalk.
We divided into groups to make a sweep of each street. One team did the long roads like Portnall and Bravington; another group combed the avenues running from Harrow Road and the little adjoining streets. We had people concentrating on Kilravock to Peach and finally a party was despatched to look after the park itself. We also had our dog expert, Crissie Chambers on the streets, giving advice to dog owners.
Mainly focussing our efforts on the road and pavement, we quickly filled our green bags, but if we saw a front garden that was looking a bit cluttered, we tapped on the front door asking for permission to clear the debris that had been left by passers-by. Some people had larger items and we asked if they’d like us to arrange a one-off collection for them today*.
Sadly, we also came across obstacles like these.
Huge items like this fridge freezer and a door had been left in the street. This is such a hazard for children and our many elderly neighbours and of course, it is illegal. This kind of fly-tipping is a big problem on the estate. If you do notice anything please call the council’s environment action line (020 7641 2000) or here.
We also found a lot of dog ends and dog mess, both of which are unnecessary if dealt with responsibly by caring members of the community. It is a shame that a few thoughtless people spoil our lovely streets for everyone else.
We were such a strong team of workers that we we had time to break for some lunch in St Jude’s Hall on Ilbert Street. Emma Morgan made a dash to Sainsbury, grabbing sandwiches and drinks for us all so that we could sit and rest for a while.
In the afternoon, we concentrated our efforts in The Mozart Estate, ending up on Dart Street with the Westminster Recycling Champions team, who had supported us so well today, and to return all of our tools to the lovely men from Veolia.
You can read more about the day and its intentions here. It was such a success that we we hope to hold another one in the coming months, unless all our neighbours and visitors get into the habit of cleaning up for themselves!
We met some wonderful people and had the chance to chat to new neighbours, thrilled to see us working to make our community a cleaner place. All this was in the glorious sunshine. Thank you to everyone who joined in, younger and older too.
Did you see us and talk to us? Would you like to join in the next time we do this? Contact the Community Council with your details and they’ll keep you informed via the mailing list.
There are more than 40 photos in our gallery. Thank you to Ray Lancashire for taking most of these.
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The gardening team are starting to make a Bug Hotel in the Wildlife Area.
Do you have any unwanted bamboo canes or broken terracotta pots?
Contact us if you can help us to eventually make it look like this one here.
The park is changing every week. A quick walk around the park with a camera can reveal so many new colours.
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