We have some information for you our Park Friends and also a few favours to ask.

Due to the Council being well over budget they have had to vote for cuts in certain areas. They unanimously voted to save £9,000 on their budget by stopping locking all Greenwich local park gates at night, getting rid of the dog waste bins in the parks and also not mowing a lot more of the grassland. The mowing may prove much better for plants and wildlife!

This was due to come into practice on 1 April, but of course, on top of this, we have COVID 19 regulations and staff shortages. The lockdown means the Cafe, Bridge and Playground have all been temporally closed and the bins will not be emptied for the next few weeks/months. BUT the park is looking very beautiful and we really need to keep it open at this difficult time as a sanctuary for us all.

We therefore do need to do our bit. Please DO NOT use the bins, take both your dog waste and rubbish home with you. Some very, very helpful people have been picking up litter and emptying bins because we need to make sure the park is kept hygienically clean otherwise the Council could shut it until they have the staff to come and clean it up, which could take some time.

So, if you could take a bag with you on your run, walk etc and pick up other peoples litter it would be very, very helpful. Make sure you wear gloves and of course Wash Your Hands.

Also if dog walkers could take their dog waste home then that would be very helpful. I have asked the council to make sure there are notices on the bins, but as of last week that hadn’t been done. If someone could do some temporary stickers that would be great as I’m not available at the moment.

If you should see/hear any anti-social behaviour the first port of call is the Met Police Peninsula SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM on 0208 7212633 or email: Peninsula.SNT@met.police.uk. Let us hope that won’t be the case, but as neighbours you may now see this as the nights get longer.

Enjoy the Pleasaunce at this wonderful time of year and perhaps post some fresh pictures on the website for those not lucky enough to be able to get out to see it for themselves.

Oh and although the Easter Egg Hunt and Summer Festival have had to be cancelled we will have one Great Get Together in the Pleasaunce once this is all over.

We have some information for you our Park Friends and also a few favours to ask.

Due to the Council being well over budget they have had to vote for cuts in certain areas. They unanimously voted to save £9,000 on their budget by stopping locking all Greenwich local park gates at night, getting rid of the dog waste bins in the parks and also not mowing a lot more of the grassland. The mowing may prove much better for plants and wildlife,

This was due to come into practice on 1 April, but of course, on top of this, we have COVID 19 regulations and staff shortages. The lockdown means the Cafe, Bridge and Playground have all been temporally closed and the bins will not be emptied now for the next few weeks/months. BUT the park is looking very beautiful and we really need to keep it open at this difficult time as a sanctuary for us all.

We therefore do need to do our bit. Please DO NOT use the bins, take both your dog waste and rubbish home with you. Some very helpful people have been picking up litter and emptying bins because we need to make sure the park is kept hygienically clean, otherwise the Council could shut it until they have the staff to come and clean it up, which could be some time.

So, if you could take a bag with you on your run, walk etc and pick up other people’s litter it would be very, very helpful. I know it’s a big ask and do make sure you wear gloves and of course, Wash Your Hands.

Also if dog walkers could take their dog waste home then that would be very helpful. I have asked the council to make sure there are notices on the bins, but as of last week that hadn’t been done. If someone could do some temporary stickers to say the bins are not in use that would be great as I’m not available at the moment.

If you should see/hear any anti-social behaviour the first port of call is the Met Police Peninsula SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM on 0208 7212633 or email: Peninsula.SNT@met.police.uk. Let us hope that won’t be the case, but as neighbours, you may now see this as the nights get longer.

Enjoy the Pleasaunce at this wonderful time of year and perhaps post some fresh pictures on the website or Facebook page for those not lucky enough to be able to get out to see it for themselves.

Oh,  although the Easter Egg Hunt and Summer Festival have had to be canceled we will have one Great Get Together once this is over!

This Sunday, 9th June will be our 13th Summer Festival and there will be loads going on in the Pleasaunce for you to enjoy. AND its FREE

Starting at 12 noon, small children will be entertained at the Bridge and there will be a barrow sale down the main avenue. ProInfinity are holding loads of sporting events all afternoon and there will be a buzz around the Art Tent. Live music from 1.30 will include the Halstow Community Choir, a Jazz Quintet, Rock Band and loads of local talent playing all afternoon.

The Ale House has a great selection of craft beers and ciders and the bar will be serving Pimms and wines. Halstow School will be running the Refreshment Marquee so drop in there for a tea or browse the Book Stall for a bargain.

Come and see us in the Membership Tent if you have any suggestions on how we can improve the park, pick up a new membership card for a discount in the cafe or collect a copy of the tree trail and see how many of the trees in the park you can spot.

Up in the cafe area as well as loads of yummy food there will be performance with a difference from Emerging Exit Arts during the afternoon. Bring a picnic and enjoy!

With Christmas behind us, here at the Bridge we really just cannot wait for Spring. So much so, we’ve dedicated a whole new event to it’s arrival…On Saturday 23rd March, we will be hosting Springtime at The Bridge.

It will include our much loved Easter egg hunt and trail but also, Mother’s Day gift making, seed planting and pot decorating, market stalls and face painting. We want our events to cater for everyone so entrance to the event is FREE (there will be a small charge for the egg hunt/trail).

As usual, the under 5s will take place in The Bridge itself and the over 5s trail will take place in the Pleasaunce.

PIP, Planting in the Pleasaunce have been busy mulching our fruit trees in both the orchards.

Seen here are:  Ian, Cathy, Anne, Martin and Richard busy at work. They will be sowing some wild flower seed soon under the trees.

The grant which the Friends of the Pleasaunce have applied for to put in a Drinking Fountain has got approval from Greenwich Neighbourhood Growth Fund.

We are really pleased with this result and would like to thank all those who took part in the public vote and helped to organise this project.

We are hoping that as soon as the money is transferred across that we can begin the process of installing the fountain along side the table tennis so that the we can reuse the pipes that were installed when the cafe was plumbed in.

It will also be handy there for the youngsters from Halstow School who do their mile a day run around the park and for dog owners as it also has a bowl for water for dogs.

We are very pleased to inform you that the Friends proposal for a Drinking Fountain in the Pleasaunce has been shortlisted for a Greenwich Neighbourhood Growth Fund grant. It will now proceed to the next round – A public vote.

The Public Vote will run until 20^th January 2019. Please don’t forget to vote if you would like to support this project. The fountain is for people but also has a special bowl for dogs and other animals as well.

Residents will be able to vote for their favourite proposal online at https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/growthfund  or in person at the main library in the Greenwich Centre, You will find forms there to hand in.

We are in neighbourhood area TWO: Blackheath Westcombe, Greenwich West and Peninsula and our proposal is for “A Drinking Fountain in the Pleasaunce”

Please pass this information on to interested people living in the area, especially those at Halstow School who do their Mile a Day around the park!

Pictured is a similar drinking fountain installed at Shrewsbury Park which is vandal and weather proof.