Park News
November 2023

 Book your tickets now for our Quiz Night
Saturday, 25 November, 7.30pm
Holy Trinity Church Hall, Rushams Road, RH12 2NT

 

 

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Who won the Sport’s Personality of the Year in 2019?
                     2. What is the smallest planet in our solar system?
                     3. What is the collective name for a group of crows?
                     4. What is rapper P Diddy’s real name?
                     5. From what grain is the Japanese spirit Sake made?

 Answers at the end of this newsletter

The Quiz Night is the most important fundraiser of the year for the Friends, and enables us to make more improvements in the Park.

Now you can book your tickets through Philippa, our Treasurer, at [email protected]. Tickets are £6.00 per person.  You can either pay for them on the door or Philippa will send you our bank details so you can pay in advance.

If you’d like to come along but have no one to join you or don’t have 6 people, don’t worry as we can put you together to make up tables of 6.

It’s always a great evening, very sociable and lots of fun. There will be wine, beer, soft drinks and snacks for sale, fabulous raffle prizes, and of course our amazing quiz.
Door and bar opens at 7.00pm and quiz starts at 7.30pm.

It’s at our usual venue – Holy Trinity Church Hall, 12 Rushams Road Horsham RH12 2NT.

A night not to be missed!

____________________________

 What the Friends did in 2023

At the Friends’ AGM in October, Chair Sally Sanderson gave a comprehensive review of what the Friends have done since our AGM last year. If you weren’t able to attend (or even if you did), here’s a summary. We achieved quite a lot actually!

Sally reported:

• It has been another great year for the park with the completed skatepark and the pond project showing ongoing investment and improvements.
• Horsham Park won another Green Flag and Silver Gilt for the second year running in the Large Park category of South & South East in Bloom. Winning ‘Outstanding’ – the top category in the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ competition is great recognition for the hard work and achievements of the Friends and so this meeting records a big thank you to all who have volunteered this year.

The Committee

• They have contributed over 1000 hours. They have run events such as the two successful litter picks and a stand at Funday in the Park with a focus on supporting bees and butterflies and our climate change bed.
• Some of their other work is less visible but just as critical in enhancing, promoting and protecting the park. They have liaised with other organisations:  HDC, Denne Neighbourhood Council, Horsham Green Spaces, Fields in Trust, Strawford Centre, Shelley Memorial Project and corporate sponsors.
• On promoting the park, David Lee has enhanced our website significantly and helped with our social media. He has had to step down recently and we will miss his valuable input.
• We have been joined by Alejandra Teodosia who has taken on responsibility for Instagram and is doing a great job, especially as she is part of the Wednesday gardening team and so can post what they do each week.
• Steve Sandham’s newsletter is now going to over 400 Friends and Stefen Hepburn’s posters continue to inform and delight. Sadly we have also had to say goodbye to Stefen who has started a career with Surrey Wildlife Trust.
• We have also been joined by Jodie Fitz-Hugh, Jennifer Ryan and Philippa Charman who is our new Treasurer, taking over from Barbara Hammond who did a great job setting up our CIC, accounting procedures and other policies.
• Therefore, although we are sad to say goodbye to friends who have contributed so much to our achievements, we are really pleased to welcome new talent to the team. 

Bulbs for Lives

• This was our biggest project of the year, working closely with the Horsham and Crawley Samaritans and with the Parks and Countryside team. It has created a wonderful legacy with the carpet of spring bulbs and the popular reflection benches.  In recognition of this, we have awarded the Samaritans with a Certificate of Excellence for their own outstanding contribution to winning our awards.

The Wednesday morning gardening group

• The group has continued to grow and each week there are between 15-20 volunteers. They have contributed over 2000 hours of weeding, pruning, clearing overgrowth, planting, growing seeds and making the park more attractive and providing good habitat for wildlife.
• The areas they look after continue to grow too – with the new pond bed and now the Human Nature Garden.
• They are a fantastic team and as well as achieving so much are friendly and welcoming, sharing their expertise and friendship to new comers and supporting those who join the team to improve their own wellbeing. We owe them many thanks for all they do.

Corporate volunteers

 

• This year has seen continued interest in volunteering in the park from the corporate sector. This includes individuals, such as Richard, who join to undertake their own CSR hours allocated by their organisation, and teams from Next Phase Recruitment, for a second year, and now Schroders.  It works particularly well when they join the Wednesday morning session, even if working as a separate group on a mini project such as cleaning up the sheep sculptures in the Human Nature Garden.
• Recently we learned from a potential CSR volunteer that she couldn’t join the Wednesday team as we are not a charity – for tax reasons. We are currently looking at the benefits of converting form a CIC to a charity so this is another thing for us to consider.

Our Finances

Treasurer Philippa Charman presented accounts for year ending 31 August 2023. Key points included:

• Income: total income was £1,812. The Quiz is the main revenue source, contributing c£1,206, with HDC Lottery ticket sales contributing £606.
• Outgoings: total expenditure was £963. Of this, £526 was spent on plants and other supplies for the gardening volunteers; other spend included a stall at Horsham Fun Day, print of posters promoting our protected species, insurance and the annual quiz.

A full copy of the accounts can be obtained on request from our Treasurer, Philippa Charman [email protected].

 

The Meeting also spent time on 3 Key Topics, and a good discussion developed amongst everyone present, with some useful suggestions put forward by members.

The 3 Key Topics:

1. Mental wellbeing,

2. Horsham Town’s pollinator flyways

3. Future plans for the Human Nature Garden.

 

Mental Wellbeing discussion (Conversation Starter Project)

 

• Dr Quinn-Cirillo spoke about the Conversation Starter Project, which she started in lockdown, as a way of combating social isolation and loneliness. She explained that walking in green spaces offers unique benefits, as the brain processes information and emotions in a different way outdoors.
• There is now a Walk & Talk in Horsham Park every Wednesday morning, and a walk has started in Southwater recently. Walks are free to join and led by walk co-ordinators and guides, with a flexible format to encourage people to join in.
• The walks have been a success with growing numbers of participants and friendships forming between them.
• More information at: https://drtara.co.uk/conversation-starter-project/

i-Rock

• This is a new service offering support for young people living in West Sussex. Friends of Horsham Park have contacted i-Rock and offered volunteering opportunities for 18-25 year olds as we know that for some people, taking part in volunteer gardening can be helpful
• More information at: https://www.sussexcamhs.nhs.uk/our-services/service-finder/i-rock-horsham-district

 

Get Horsham Buzzing discussion

Sally Sanderson reported on this project, which is run by Horsham Green Spaces Forum – representatives from groups managing/supporting communal green spaces in the town including the Friends of Horsham Park, Warnham Nature Reserve, Chesworth Farm, allotments, a school representative and neighborhood councils. Its aim is to Enhance, Connect and Protect our Green Spaces

• Over the last 2 years some projects have included: Ancient and veteran tree mapping and a SWOT analysis of each green space.
• The new project is Pollinator flyways – see this article in AAH – which links into the Sussex Wildlife Trust ‘Weald to Waves’ project trying to create a nature corridor which cuts across Horsham town.
• The following routes in Horsham Town have been habitat mapped this summer and are proposed as pollinator flyways with the aim of connecting the town’s green spaces for insects, birds and bats – for a copy of the corridor maps please email [email protected]
  • A1 Warnham Nature Reserve- Hills Farm – along the Arun
  • B1 Bens Acres (St Leonards Forest) to Hills Farm – includes ‘Wild Denne’ initiatives
  • C1 – tricky route but critical as connects to the Weald to Waves core corridor
  • D1 & 2 Railway
  • E1 Bens Acres to Hop Oast/Denne Hill

Routes including the Park

• F1 Leechpool and Owlbeech wood to Hills Farm
• G1 From Beech Road allotments in Roffey to Park
• Some of the routes are easier to connect than others and HGS has put forward a proposal for how to do this to Horsham District Council.

To link with the Weald to waves project, Sally suggested the Friends could make two pledges.  Pledges are shown on the Weald to Waves pledge map to show support:

• The Friends as an organisation can pledge that they will work towards the 30% target for space in the Park to be devoted to wildlife by 2030 – the majority of attendees supported this and it was agreed the committee would take this forwards.
• Individuals can pledge to devote 30% of their garden or balcony to being wild-life friendly. Simple things like leaving the lawn uncut for the summer, having a small log or leaf pile, having a small pond, planting some wildflowers or choosing pollinator-friendly plants can make a huge difference even in a small town garden. Ben Brace reported on a successful initiative in London to lift one paving slab in your garden and replace with wild-life friendly planting.

 

Human Nature Garden: discussion of future plans

The HNG opened in 2011, with an aspiration to grow plants that could be used in medicine, food, building, clothing. The garden is now looking tired, the signage is outdated and doesn’t link to what happens in the garden.  HDC’s Management Plan for the Park will be renewed in 2024 and so this discussion can contribute to the consultation on how to develop/manage the HNG.

Discussion included the following suggestions:

• Growing vegetables: the volunteers have experimented with some vegetables to fill gaps – but this showed what a lot of work it would be, with people needed every day of the week for watering.
• Community allotments for groups eg Little Monkeys, care homes
• Could the overarching theme for the HNG become a garden for wellbeing?
  • Planting for good physical health – edible flowers etc – and mental health – eg lavender and valerian to help sleep
  • Colourful flowers to lift mood
  • Gardening as an activity for well being
  • Hosting small-scale wellbeing events on the stage
• In the meantime, the Wednesday volunteers suggested that a plan is needed for managing the existing beds as there are too many plants that have self-seeded so it looks crowded and nothing is thriving – these need to be removed.

 

South & South East in Bloom Awards

The Friends volunteers and directors celebrated with HDC Councillors and officers with a group photo in the Sensory Garden. There was a write up in the County Times on 26 October.

Friends Chair Sally Sanderson said: “We are thrilled to have won this award. Our Wednesday Gardening Team is very strong contributing over 2,000 volunteer hours this year…” She went on to thank all the other many volunteers and partners who gave their time and have contributed to the park’s success.

Council Cabinet Member for Leisure Jon Olson said: “…These awards celebrate the massive amount of hard work that goes into planning, developing and maintaining Horsham Park. I am particularly pleased we have also been recognised for creating such a vital community hub…My thanks go out to our officers, Friends of Horsham Park, Denne Neighbourhood Council and the many volunteers and partners who have contributed so much to have achieved these awards.”

 

Park House Sensory Garden

If you visited Park House Sensory Garden in the late summer, you will have noticed that the box hedge surrounding the central beds had been badly damaged by the caterpillar of the box hedge moth.  What was once a smart, green border, had almost overnight become a hedge of brown lace and twigs.

Last week this was removed and will be replaced with 660 Lonicera plants; the resulting hedge will look much the same.  These will be planted up soon by the Wednesday morning volunteers.

It is likely that the cherry tree, which is much loved for its cheerful spring blossom, will also be removed before the hedge replanting.  This is sad but the tree is now old, the crown is in serious decline and decay is extensive.   It will be replaced with a tree that will provide shade for our curved bench and one that, of course, has sensory appeal.

 

Children’s Play Area improvements

The surface under the popular zip wire play equipment in the children’s play area has been improved. The existing grass matting surface had become very tired and unsafe.   A retaining wall has been built to create an enclosure where tonnes of bark nuggets have been used to create a better surface.  We’re sure the children will love the improvements.

 

Help the Friends and you could win a prize

£25,000 Jackpot every week!

Have a better chance of winning the lottery when you play the local Horsham District Community Lottery, and you will be supporting the Friends!

By signing up to the local weekly draw, you can subscribe any amount from £1 upwards. Each £1 ticket has a chance to win £25, £250, £2500, or £25000. Just match from 2 to 6 numbers to win a prize.

By selecting The Friends as your chosen good cause, 50p from each £1 ticket goes to support much-needed funds for the Friends of Horsham Park; and 10p goes to other local causes.

Why not sign up today? It’s a win for the Friends and could be a bigger win for you!

 

Events in the Park

• Every Weds & Fri.    Walk and Talk in Horsham Park. Meet at The Human Nature Garden Weds 10 -11am and Fri 12-12.40pm
• Every Sat                     parkrun 9.00am
• 25 Nov                          Friends’ Annual Quiz!

 

Volunteering Opportunities

• Ribbon Border Volunteer group – every 2^nd Sunday
  The RBV group meets every second Sunday in the month at 10am by the entrance to the North Street carpark, everyone welcome.
  For more information please contact David at [email protected]
• Gardening and Conservation group – every Wednesday
  The Wednesday Morning Group” meets at 9.30am at the Jubilee car park next to the entrance sign to the Human Nature Garden. Their main tasks are planting and pruning and generally making improvements to the park’s appearance for all to enjoy. All tools provided.
  Please contact“ Sally at [email protected]
• Helping at events – as required
  We need Friends to help out at events we hold in the Park. It may be just for a couple of hours occasionally, or as a one off. It can be great fun. Any help is much appreciated.
  Please contact Sally at [email protected]

 

Quiz Answers: 1. Ben Stokes; 2. Mercury; 3. Murder; 4. Sean Combs; 5. Rice.