Have You a Skill to Offer?
We Still Need a FOGP Facebook Organiser
How to Make a Nest Box
Choose a Bird to Make a Box for
Litter Picks Start on 27 March at 10am
Walks Dates for your Diary
Gladstone Gardening Group Plants Snowdrops
Black-headed Gulls in the Park
Copse News from David + Nuthatch Seen
Let's Talk Climate: Have your say: Link
Get Ready for Brent in Bloom 2022
JOIN EASY FUNDRAISING Nominate FOGP as your Charity
AMAZON: When buying choose FOGP as your Charity
Memorial Benches. How to buy one
POLICE: New Info for reporting Mopeds in the Park
Would anyone like to contribute?
Have you a skill to contribute to the Friends?
Are you interested in some aspect of the park and could lead a walk/talk? We would love to hear from anyone with an interest in moths for instance.
Have you something you'd like to contribute? As a result of this ad we can thank Cathy Mercer who volunteered to lead a history walk in the park: See below for walks' details
WE STILL NEED A FACEBOOK ORGANISER
Chris, the Friends Facebook page monitor, will be moving to pastures new in the spring and we are looking for her replacement. Is there anyone out there willing to check the page regularly, remove non-park info, deal and forward on requests, link the page to other useful sites etc? email: info@gladstoneparkfriends.org
THE RSPB IS PROMOTING NATIONAL NEST BOX WEEK
HERE'S HOW TO MAKE ONE:
Follow the link to the Friends of Gladstone Park's website: http://gladstoneparkfriends.org/nestbox-week-14-20-february/
Decide from the species below which bird you want to make a nest box for as they require different sized holes or no hole but instead need a gap. Email Helen if you are not able to drill a hole of the right size as she knows someone willing to do this for you: gladstoneflowersnw@gmail.com
MONTHLY LITTER PICKS START Sunday 27 March from 10am-12 Meet at the park entrance by Anson Road North ///scuba.going.soup NEXT LITTER PICK: Saturday, 30 April from 10am starting by the walled garden.begin.garden.when
WALKS DATES FOR THE DIARY
SUNDAY, 15 May: 5.30am: Dawn Chorus Bird Walk with Andrew Peel of RSPB
SATURDAY, 21 MAY: 11am: Nature walk with John Wells naturalist, of the Selborne Society
TUESDAY, 7th JUNE: 6.30pm: History and Myths of Gladstone Park with Cathy Mercer, lecturer and tour guide
SATURDAY, 16 JULY: 11am: How to Recognise Tree Species with Bettina Metcalfe, dendrologist
AUGUST: Date to be confirmed: Plant Walk Along the Southern Railway Line Hedge with Helen of Friends of Gladstone Park
GLADSTONE GARDENING GROUP
PLANTS 250 SNOWDROPS
The GGG has just planted 250+ snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, bought in the green, to lighten the dark days of January and February.
The roses are being pruned and the ivy and blackberry prevented from strangling the Rosa rugosas around the old bowling green, a regular mid winter task. The wisteria has had its early new year prune to ensure a good flowering season and any shrubs overhanging pathways in the walled garden reduced. Now for the weeds!!!!
BLACK HEADED GULLS: More interesting than you think maybe?
They were once scarce because we ate them and their eggs! Having recovered their numbers they are now amber listed possibly because of habitat degradation.
Each winter these 'white' headed birds appear in the park. They are there now feeding on seeds and worms. Agnes of the Gardening Group sent a video of two of them stamping the ground to activate and bring up the worms. Soon they will have their 'black', actually brown, breeding head plumage, as seen starting on the first bird, and will be off to breed elsewhere, along the coast, in wetlands or inland near gravel pits and boggy pools. Some will migrate back to to the the Netherlands, the Baltic States and Russia to breed.
Do read the British Trust for Ornithology's website below which explains that during the 1930's there was a market both for their eggs, with 300,000 a year being sold at Leadenhall market, and for their meat.
Link to BTO site: black-headed-gull
COPSE NEWS FROM DAVID
David and the other volunteers have finished their work coppicing, making dead hedges and maintaining pathways for this season. They will re-start in the autumn but will continue litter picking there and restoring any damage. David's great thrill was spotting a Nuthatch that flew within 1.5m of him while he was taking a moment to enjoy the copse. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia
LET'S TALK CLIMATE: BRENT COUNCIL
Samantha Haines at Brent Council is asking Brent residents to participate as below:
The climate emergency means the way we do things as a council and as a community has to change. We have launched Let’s Talk Climate: waste and green space to ask for your views on what we can do differently and what you expect from us as we work together towards a cleaner, greener Brent.
We are looking for fresh bold ideas. Your feedback could change how waste and recycling is managed, how we keep streets clean and how green spaces are maintained. It will also feed into the delivery of our Climate Strategy and help shape the future of Brent >> Watch this video to learn more, then get involved and start sharing your ideas
THE BRENT IN BLOOM COMPETITION WILL TAKE PLACE AGAIN NEXT YEAR. IT IS GOOD NEWS FOR OWNERS OF FABULOUS FRONT GARDENS, THOSE WHO HAVE WONDERFUL WINDOW BOXES OR COLOURFUL CONTAINERS, BUSINESSES, COMMUNAL GARDENS AND OTHER CATEGORIES SUCH AS SUSTAINABLE GARDENS AND GARDENS FOR WILDLIFE
To enter and for more info on the categories: Brent in Bloom
DO PLEASE JOIN EASYFUNDRAISING IT IS SUCH AN EASY WAY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FRIENDS OF GLADSTONE PARK.
For example if you buy anything from John Lewis they donate 2% of the value to the Friends! These donations help the Gladstone Gardening Group to buy tulips, alliums and other bulbs for spring colour and contribute to the perennial beds in the walled garden.
HELP MAKE YOUR PARK EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL BY CONTRIBUTING
RAISE MONEY FOR THE FRIENDS OF GLADSTONE PARK
VIA EASY FUNDRAISING
A huge variety of companies are paying charity donations via the website Easy Fundraising.
Follow the link below and nominate the Friends of Gladstone Park as your charity. Download the app which allows you to see which companies support charities this way when you use your browser. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/panel/ AND VIA AMAZON SMILE https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1180529-0
We will use your funding to encourage the park's wildlife, plant in the walled garden and copse and for projects to enhance the park
MEMORIAL BENCHES: MORE NEEDED AS WE WOULD LIKE SOME ALONG THE NEW CYCLE PATH AND IN THE PEACE GROVE. People like to rest, stare at the sun, comfort their baby or just admire the view when walking the park especially along the new cycle track where there is just one bench at present.
Is there a loved one you would like to remember and think about when visiting the Gladstone Park?
PHOTO: Najma sitting on the bench dedicated to her husband COST: Email: brent.parks.services@brent.gov.uk
or speak to Brent Council on 020 8937 5619
NO MOPEDS PERMITTED TO DRIVE IN THE PARK If you see a moped in the park, photograph it with the number plate visible and take down details of the time and where you saw it. Email your ward SNT as below and the police have agreed to follow this up where there is sufficient evidence.
Mopeds are not allowed to drive through the park and people are not allowed to sleep in the park. If you have information about mopeds, rough sleeping or antisocial behaviour:
Email or Tweet your ward, either Dollis Hill, Dudden Hill or Mapesbury Safer Neighbourhood Team, (SNT), as below.
Do not put yourself at risk by taking photographs of people, but make a note of registration numbers, descriptions, time and location.
Remember that the SNT can only follow up messages when they are on a working shift, so they should not be contacted about urgent issues.
PHONE 999 if the suspect is nearby or if anyone is hurt or in danger. If you see a weapon or drug dealing and the dealer is visible, call 999. If you find a hidden stock of drugs, call 999.
