'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Sessions 1 to 9 are reported on this page.
'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Activity Session 1
The FoEP held its first 'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' session on 12th March.
It was attended by 14 adults and three children. At least eight of those present had not previously carried out voluntary work with the FoEP.
The volunteers planted 120 wildflower plugs in the 'Planted Meadow'. They also re-edged the 'Insect Friendly Herbaceous Border' ready for more work on the border in two weeks’ time. Members of the team also raked over the 'wilder' part of the meadow closest to Eleonore House, which had recently had the tallest vegetation cut down. Other volunteers collected at least five sacks of litter.
'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Activity Session 2
The FoEP held its second 'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' session on 9th April.
(What should have been the second session on 26th March had to be cancelled because the main organiser caught Covid-19.)
Twenty-four volunteers (including one child) took part in what turned out to be a very successful undertaking. It was good to see some people helping us for the first time, as well as some ‘old hands’ – people who have been associated with the FoEP since it started in 2006/7. The pictures illustrate our main achievements during the two-hour session.
'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Activity Session 3
Colin. Lauren and Zuzanna weed the 'front' of the Crescent Rock Garden'.
David digs over the 'back' of the Crescent Rock Garden.
The FoEP held its third 'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' session on 23rd April.
Nineteen people (including four children) helped between 10.00 am and 12.00 noon. Five volunteers worked hard on the ‘Crescent Rock Garden’, either weeding the front facing the pond or digging over the back facing the parkland. Two volunteers tidied up remains of woodchip heaps, adding more chippings to pathways through the Park. Other volunteers, including the children, cleared litter from various sites.
'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Activity Session 4
The FoEP held its fourth 'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' session on 14th May.
Fourteen volunteers (including four children) played some part in making it a very successful undertaking. It was good to see some people helping us for the first time, as well as several returning volunteers.
One of the main achievements was to add wood chippings to part of the pathway north of the lake. Five volunteers joined in doing this (those in the photos plus Vic). Other volunteers collected four sacks of litter.
'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Activity Session 5
The FoEP's 5th ‘Bouncing Back’ session was held on Saturday 28th May and was rather different to previous sessions. As usual, a few volunteers picked up litter, but the main attraction was a display of aquatic invertebrates collected from two of the small ponds. Seventeen species were displayed, ranging in size from a tiny Cyclops to a relatively large dragonfly larva. Although the collection shows that the ponds are far from ‘dead’ they are not in a healthy condition, the species found being characteristic of small stagnant silty ponds with oxygen deficiency. Twenty-one adults and 18 children visited the display.
'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Activity Session 6
The FoEP's 6th ‘Bouncing Back’ session was held on Saturday 11th June. Eleven people (including one child) helped with work in the Park between 10.00 am and 12.00 noon. Five volunteers worked hard on the ‘Insect-friendly Herbaceous Border’ (near Eleonore House) weeding, and planting nine new perennial plants. Other volunteers cleared litter from various sites and piled them at the Skiddaw Walk entrance to the Park ready to be collected by Veolia. The nine new plants are all named on photos in our Facebook album "'Bouncing Back' Session 6". There is still work to do on the border but it is looking really good at present.
'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Activity Session 7
The FoEP's 7th ‘Bouncing Back’ session on Saturday 26th June was rather disappointing because only two people attended. Five regular volunteers apologised for being unable to come and it's possible that others were put off by the uncertain weather. Nevertheless, Janette Smith had some interesting and relevant discussions while she looked after the ‘base station’ by the Junior Play Area and Vic managed to strim pathways through and along the ‘top’ of the Jubilee Meadow near the Skiddaw Walk entrance to the Park. He also cut back branches that were overhanging the ‘top path’.
'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Activity Session 8
‘Bouncing Back’ Session 8 was attended by 15 volunteers, including six children. While Carole, Lauren and David removed encroaching branches from the pathway north of the lake, Vic discussed various management issues with Park Ranger, Vikkie Maloney. Later, the ‘pathway team’ added chippings to the path. Although not necessary at present, it will make the path easier to use in winter. While this was going on, the ‘litter team’ collected eight bags of litter, an office chair and part of a cot. This was left at the Skiddaw Walk entrance to be collected by Veolia. Before they left the Park, Vic and Janette watered plants that had been planted during Session 6.
'Bouncing Back in Eastfield Park' Activity Session 9
Seventeen people, including three children, took part in ‘Bouncing Back’ Session 9. One task was to open up the pathway through the wooded area in the angle between the end of Baldwin Close and the flats at the end of Skiddaw Walk (which we are now calling the Skiddaw Spinney). Another task was to weed around some of the whips planted last autumn. Wood chips were added to the weeded areas and a ring sprayed around them (using grass paint) to make them stand out to tractor drivers cutting the grass. Those volunteers who preferred to litter pick collected seven bags of litter which were added to those collected two weeks earlier.