THIS SUNDAY, 15 May, Dawn Chorus Walk: 5.30am WEDNESDAY, 18 May: 11.30am JOIN US to 'Welcome the Cherry Trees'
Future Litter Pick Dates
More Walks: Dates for your Diary
Gladstone Gardening Group: Box Moth and Yew Trees
Meadow Foxtail Grass Flowering - Food-plant of the Essex Skipper
Trees Predict the Weather!
Help Brent Council Prevent Illegal Motor Scooters
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
DAWN CHORUS BIRD WALK SUNDAY, 15 May: 5.30am
Leader: Andrew Peel of RSPB Meet at the old house footprint by the walled garden.
What3words:plus.leaves.pops If you live south of the park and would prefer not to walk through the park on your own as it will still be dark, meet Robert at the Anson Road entrance at 5.15am. ///scuba.going.soup
Below: Green Woodpecker, Gladstone Park. In the winter this bird is entirely dependent on eating ants. Here it is feasting on some of the hundreds of thousands of yellow meadow ants that live in the anthills and surrounding grassland to the east of the park.
JOIN US TO WELCOME THE CHERRY TREES
Wednesday 18 May at 11.30am
Venue: By the upper children's playground
Venue: What3words: frogs.globe.clouds
Brent Council and the Friends of Gladstone Park would like to invite you to a ceremony to welcome the 100 Sakura cherry trees recently planted in the park It is an opportunity to hear from the Sakura Project sponsors and meet with the Mayor and Brent Parks Department
Gladstone Park was chosen to receive 100 of the over 6000 cherry trees funded by Japanese companies and organised by the Sakura Project in token of the long friendship between Britain and Japan.
Cherry blossoms or sakura, are celebrated every year by Japanese people who enjoy 'hanami' or 'flower viewing'.
Cherry blossom time represents a period of renewal and optimism and symbolises the transience of life, a major theme in Buddhism.
Fifty pink Prunus 'Beni-yutaka' have been planted along the cycle route and fifty white Prunus 'Tai-haku' or great white cherry trees have been planted up the path to the children's playground from the cycle track.
Interestingly, the great white cherry was believed to have died out in Japan and was re-introduced from the UK. According to Hillier's Tree Nursery all P. 'Tai-Haku' cherry trees stem from the one found in the Sussex garden.
FUTURE LITTER PICKS Sunday 22 May from 10am-12 Meet at the park entrance by Anson Road North ///scuba.going.soup Saturday, 25 June from 10am
Meet by the walled garden.begin.garden.when ALL WELCOME. Bags and litter picks will be provided. Please wear gloves.
MORE WALKS 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: GGG News BOX MOTH IS KILLING THE BOX HEDGE
Sadly box moth is devastating the box hedge in the walled garden and slowly killing it. We have spoken to the Parks Department who are considering the best way forward. There are only two solutions:
1) To spray both sides of all the box hedge three times a year as the moths are able to produce three broods a year.
2) Remove the box and replace with another shrub
Photos below of the caterpillars eating the box leaves taken in the walled garden and of the moths, two shades of them, light and dark morphs.
WALLED GARDEN YEW TREES LOWERED
The yew trees can now be reached thanks to the Parks department funding their capping! At 3m the gardening group will be able to reach them and keep them clipped and tidy to provide a strong contrast to the ensuing chaos and exuberance of the central perennial beds. Or at least that's what we hope if only it would rain.
Yes, we know they look a little bald on top, but the sun and light work wonders and we are expecting new growth to emerge as yew trees have the capacity to send out new shoots from what looks like 'dead' wood.
MEADOW FOXTAIL SPROUTING The first grass to flower in the long acid-grassland part of the park to the east, is the meadow foxtail. It's an attractive grass with distinctive flowers as below. It's the food plant of the Essex skipper butterfly which can be found in that area. It's a difficult butterfly to name as it has to be caught and its antennae looked at to distinguish it from the small skipper. The underside of the tips of its antennae are black whereas the small skippers are brown or orange. Photo: Small or Essex Skipper????
GLADSTONE PARK TREES PREDICT THE WEATHER!!
The old saying seems to be true this year: See photos below of an ash tree only just flowering and an oak which is lush and green.
If the oak before the ash, then we'll only have a splash
If the ash before the oak, then we'll surely have a soak.
BRENT COUNCIL WANT INFO ON ILLEGAL MOTOR SCOOTERS CROSSING THE PARK
Brent Council's Kelly Eaton would like anyone seeing motor scooters illegally crossing the park which have clear signs of the company the rider is working for to inform them by email as below. They will take it up with the companies involved.
Email: brent.parks.services@brent.gov.uk
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.
