Dear Friend of Victoria Park,
What a difference a fortnight makes – so first things first, I hope you are keeping safe and well as we enter another lockdown. Please make the most of the park, but do please ensure you keep to the guidance which you can find here.
Volunteering in the park – update. In light of the new situation, there will be no Council or VPAG organised group volunteering sessions in the park. Individual volunteering is still allowed – as is activity as a household or “bubble”. We know there’s a lot of unsung heroes out there – if you are volunteering it’d be great to hear your experiences.
Students. I noted last time that the Council are working with City of Bristol College to host students each week (during term time) in the park – this programme will be continuing, so please be aware you may still see groups working in the park, although the invitation for public volunteers to join them has obviously been rescinded.
Summary of recent meeting. Minutes from our meeting on Monday will be issued in due course, but here’s a brief summary of some key points:
- Bench Project – Local artist Linda Brothwell spoke to us about her plan to gift a decorative inlay on one of our benches in the park – you can see examples of similar work here.
- MUGA/Basketball Court – We heard from basketball player Jacob Kulig about hopes that a project can be developed to improve the Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) adjacent to St Luke’s Road. The project is backed by the local Basketball League and the hope is to base it on this guide by Basketball England .
- At our previous meeting, Tessa Fitzjohn undertook to help develop some plans for next year – she is still working on this and we plan a stand-alone (online) meeting to discuss her suggestions: look out for more details soon.
eScooters. The trial of eScooters in Bristol has now started, but the initial zone in which the hire ones will work excludes the park. Of course, there are many privately owned Scooters around.
Community Garden – an appeal for shrubs, slabs, and stepping stones – a reminder. Barney Smith, who looks after our community garden [at the back of the Bowling Club’s clubhouse], is looking for some additional herbaceous plants if people are able to donate – or split – theirs. He says “They should be wrapped up to keep the roots moist and left at the back of the bed on the path or brought on Thursday afternoons. Labelling them not essential but helpful. We could also use broken paving slabs a least 30cm by 30cm to use as stepping stones/paths within the garden.”
Ecological Emergency – reminder. The Council has acknowledged that we are facing an Ecological Emergency, and the Bristol Parks Forum has been discussing the issue and ways in which parks can respond. Victoria Park is a haven for wildlife, with many different types of flora and fauna making their home in our trees, copses, bushes, and longer grass areas. Your thoughts and views are welcome – please feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts.
Incident In the Park. We have had no further update on the recent incident where a woman was found in the park with head injuries – as previously mentioned the Police view was that there was nothing to suggest there is a threat to the public.
Thank You Certificates – nominations still open! A reminder that we have produced swanky new certificates to thank people for their volunteering time in the park and are inviting nominees – ideally with names and addresses, if possible. I plan to present the certificates next month.
Andrew Brown, Chair of VPAG