We’d like to thank West Sussex County Times for publishing our ‘Campaign to protect the park’. If you didn’t get to see it, here’s what we said:

“The Friends of Horsham Park would like to congratulate the Liberal Democrats on their election victory. As the new administration with a good majority, they now have decision-making power and can take action to protect Horsham Park in perpetuity. We look forward to working with them on this.

 Our campaign to protect the park and support our greenspaces was enthusiastically greeted by local candidates from the Green Party and the Labour Party, as well as the Liberal Democrats who pledged that ‘The Local Liberal Democrat Party is fully behind protecting Horsham Park in perpetuity as the heart of life in Horsham’. It is good news for Horsham that there is such widespread recognition of the importance of our greenspaces.

 We’ve already been in touch with the new administration and are looking forward to making progress on this.

We would like to thank everyone who supported our campaign. See full details of the pledges we received.

 Sally Sanderson, Chair of Friends of Horsham Park”

Everyone, everywhere, should be able to grow up, and grow old, with nature. It’s been very clear over recent years how important it is for us all to spend time in nature – not least for our mental and physical health and wellbeing. But the covid pandemic highlighted the inequalities there are around how much we can all access thriving natural spaces.

To support the campaign, click on this link Nature for Everyone 

The opening of the new skate park proved to be a highly successful day.  The sun was shining, extreme sports enthusiasts and families crowded round to watch and gasp at the Team Extreme professional riders showing off their amazing jumps, grabs and spins.  It was a very inclusive day with plenty of time for everyone who wanted to use the skate park and get coaching tips from the Team Extreme experts. 

They then ran some mini competitions for skateboarding, scooters and BMX where riders showed off their skills, persistence and resilience. One of the loudest cheers was for one of the youngest BMX competitors who had a nasty fall on his first run but after medical attention, came back to do his second run.   The Friends were proud to support the event by being one of the sponsors for the prizes.

The day showed the strength of the skate park’s design since it can be enjoyed equally by all the disciplines: BMX, scooters, skateboards and in-line skates.  Probably the best proof is that Team Extreme commented that it is one of the best, if not the best, skate parks in the UK.

Well done to the HDC Parks and Countryside team for providing a fabulous facility for our community and a great opening event.

Since last year’s Hedgehog Awareness Week, the park team has installed Hedgehog Highways in Horsham Park Pond’s fencing to help make life a little easier for them. Have you spotted the doorways? Keep your eyes peeled next time you’re in the park

As members of Horsham Green Spaces we are participating in a long term urban nature-recovery project linking the green spaces in the town via several ‘pollinator flyways’.  The vision is to include school fields, sports fields, allotments, cemeteries, railway lines, verges and, of course, gardens.  The first stage of the project is to map existing habitats and what is using them.  This will help us identify opportunities for extending the habitats appropriately to support pollinators and birds across the flyways.

A small group will be mapping Horsham Park one afternoon in June or July.  The date has not been set yet, but if you fancy helping us to map it and identify the habitat and species of flora and fauna, then please contact us at [email protected].

If you’ve never tried bowls, here’s your chance. Horsham Park Bowls Club has a new game called Bowls Bash that all can play, even if you’ve never played bowls before. 

It’s a dynamic game with a fixed number of ‘ends’, which makes it very competitive and fun.  Each game can have either 2 or 4 players, but if you don’t have a partner to play with, the club will find you one. Free help/instruction is on hand. Pay & Play (per person ) 1hr £3 or 2hrs £5. Bowls Hire £1

Bowls Bash is every Friday & Saturday 11.00am – 1.00pm throughout the season.

OR

If you’re thinking of taking up bowls regularly, you can have 3 FREE taster sessions, with tuition, to help you decide.

Taster sessions are every Tuesday 10-12.

It’s a friendly club and you’re sure of a warm welcome!

The Friends were delighted to take part in a joint celebration with the Samaritans and the Park Management Team on Saturday 1^st April. The event was to celebrate the planting of three silver birch trees and the installation of two new ‘reflection’ benches at the recently created Bulbs for Lives field.  It was also to thank everyone who planted the bulbs last October, which have now successfully burst through the grass to create a carpet of colour – first the purple and white crocuses and now the yellow daffodils. 

You may recall that last October a large group of volunteers planted ‘bulbs for lives’ – 6221 crocuses and 6221 daffodils which represent the number of people who very sadly took their own lives in 2021.

It’s great to see that the bulbs have flowered successfully, and will reappear each year. The two specially designed benches have been carefully positioned, flanked by three new silver birch trees, next to the spread of flowers, to allow people to sit, talk and reflect.

Refreshments and delicious homemade cakes were provided by the Samaritans, and the Friends organised an ‘Easter egg’ hunt for the children in the Human Nature Garden. The ‘Easter eggs’ were actually pebbles, cleverly painted by the Samaritans, which the children could exchange for a seasonal chocolate, and they were able to take their special pebble home with them. It was very popular and the children had great fun.

A familiar face in the Human Nature Garden was given a new-look this week after its predecessor was damaged beyond repair.

The new shepherd was carved by PIXIE Mushroom sussex chainsaw carvings and funded by grounds maintenance contractors idverde UK from their Community Investment Fund.

“The original shepherd was a much-loved character, and I am sure that this new carving will bring just as much joy for families exploring The Human Nature Garden” said Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture, Cllr Roger Noel.