October update

October has seen some milestones achieved and some changes to our committee.  In summary:


We met with Jupiter Play and approved the final play park design (more info to follow).

We held a meeting of the Friends.  Tom Ewing agreed to take over as Treasurer from Celia Mainland who is moving to North Berwick.  

Thank you Celia for all you have done.  You will be missed!

We agreed that recruiting volunteers was to be a priority in the year ahead.

We held our monthly work day and weeded the paths in the community garden.


We researched prospective funding bodies.

Discussions continued regarding the possibility of relocating to railway bridge from Prestongrange Museum and the reinstatement of the path between the two sites.

We put together a draft programme of 'biodiversity' themed events for next year.  If you would like to organise an event, we would love to hear from you!

We updated and reminded people about park issues via Twitter
(@cuthillpark).

Davie Rutherford and the Community Payback Order team cleared the undergrowth by the front gate which means that people will be able to see into the park which reduces anti-social behaviour (and hopefully encourages passers-by to become visitors!)

East Lothian Council delivered several boulders to the park.  

These are great for natural play and also as informal seating.



Approximate volunteer hours this month: 60

Making Wildflower Seedbombs

At this time of year, all but one of the wildflower beds in Cuthill Park have been cut back.

From the remaining bed (deliberately left to provide a source of nectar for our insect friends) we have gathered some of the seeds to make seedbombs.

It's very easy and makes an unusual gift.

Mix together:
1 part non-invasive wildflower seeds
3 parts peat-free compost
3 parts bentonite-based cat litter
2 parts water

Mixture should resemble brownie dough and have a firm consistency

Form into small balls, somewhere between the size of a marble and a golf ball

Leave to dry

Store in a cool, dark place

They will be ready to throw in the spring.

In Kind

Without volunteers and good will of local companies, the projects undertaken in the park would simply not go ahead.

Volunteers have pruned apple trees (and taught others how to do the same), done the accounts, built raised beds and so much more.

So much of the work is hidden so we thought it was a good idea to tot up how many hours people give to highlight just how much people value Cuthill Park.

A project like the hedge is a great example of how many people work together to make it happen:

• A volunteer applied to the Woodland Trust for one of their Harvest Packs (thankfully their 4 page application form is comparatively straight forward).
• After hearing we had been successful, another volunteer meticulously drew up a planting plan.
• Another volunteer printed this off and laminated it for distribution on planting day
• Meanwhile, another volunteer produced a flyer and emailed this to all the schools and community groups in the area and made sure it got coverage in the local press.
• A volunteer took delivery of the trees and delivered them to the site. 
• On the day, 62 people gave up their time to plant 402 saplings.

By our reckoning this single project works out at about 130 hours of volunteer time so far


As the group looks towards the next phase of improvements, we will start to keep records of unpaid voluntary work as it can sometimes be used to match fund some projects.

Since January, we estimate that over 600 hours have been given in-kind - the equivalent of over £8,200.

However you help us, we want you to know it is very much appreciated and would be grateful if you could email us a note of the hours you have put in on a monthly basis.

(The figures given do not factor in the invaluable support of the Co-op in hiring a generator and strimmer, or the work carried out by ScottishWater to finally bring water on site - now that kind of support is truly priceless!)

Decisions

The picture below shows the lovely sycamore at the brow of the hill which, in the spring, blooms with crocuses.

We are considering putting some seating around the tree and were wondering whether we should go for something informal and rustic like the four designs shown below?

Or should we instead choose a more formal bench like the circular one?



The rustic design:

• offers some play experience as well as seating
• matches the look and feel of the other proposed play items
• is modular so, theoretically, it can be added to at a later date, should funds allow.

The circular design:

• makes a focal point
• has back support and is more comfortable
• might be problematic for council maintenance (although could be planted)

Additionally, we decided to replace the proposed swing nest with a pendulum swing which can be used by small children and doesn't require lots of children in order for it to be fun (which was our concern with the swing nest).

Doesn't it look great?!

We would love to hear your views at our meeting Thursday 9th October the Goth, Prestonpans.

Join us!

This Thursday, 9th October, from 7pm. we will be meeting in the Goth.

Even if you haven't been to a meeting or workday before, we hope you will join us.

There is a lot to discuss and even more to be done!

Please, help to make a difference in your community - there are jobs for all, young and old, gardeners and non-gardeners.

The more people involved, the more we can do!

We need people with ideas, building/DIY skills, fundraisers, event managers, storytellers - whatever your talents, we can use them in Cuthill Park.

Update

We may have been a bit quiet on the blog front recently, but there's lots happening behind the scenes so thought it was time for a brief update.

Play/Exercise Equipment

A few of us met today with Councillor Innes, Stuart Pryde & Dougie Fox from East Lothian Council, to discuss the £87k allocated to Cuthill Park in the capital budget for play equipment.

Once we have finalised our requirements, the design brief will go out to the preferred equipment suppliers who will prepare designs for us to choose from.  We hope to have things in place by the end of the year.  We welcome ideas and anyone wishing to have input to this is encouraged to come along to the next Friends of Cuthill Park meeting on Thursday, 24th July from 7pm in the Goth.

At this meeting we will develop both our overall plan for the park (from the public consultation) & guidelines for the council's design brief for the play/exercise equipment.

 

Prestongrange Link

One of the long term aims of the Friends of Cuthill Park group is to reinstate the path from the park to Prestongrange Museum linking to core path 169.

There is a possibility of relocating a former railway bridge from its current location at the museum to the park which would be an unusual way of linking the two sites and could have a number of practical applications as well as being an unusual decorative feature.

Plans are at a very early stage but we are looking into restoration/removal costs and sources of funding.  As always, we would welcome any help, technical, administrative or otherwise!

Wildlife Area

A small group are working on clearing the undergrowth in the wooded area by the small gate in order to be able to set up a nature trail & wildlife area. If you'd like to be involved please let us know.  Currently, the newly-formed group meets on Friday mornings but also at other times as and when volunteers are available.

Community Garden

We still have a shed load of timber (literally!).  If any community groups or families are interested in having a raised bed, please get in touch.  Depending on interest, we may start a waiting list or look into building more beds.

The next Work Day is this Saturday, 12 July 11-1pm, in the Community Garden. 

We need to weed the fedge, water the trees, weed, do some landscaping, weed....did we mention the weeds?!  Don't worry if weeding isn't your thing, there is plenty work for all!

It won't all be hard work though - so bring a picnic and enjoy the wonderful wide open space of Cuthill Park.  If the recent Queen's Baton Relay through Prestonpans, has got you in the Commonwealth Games spirit, you will be pleased to know we have lots of sporting goodies (and medals!) courtesy of Fields in Trust for you and your little ones.  Perfect for impromptu egg and spoon races!  It will be fun - hope you can join us!

Big business vs. the bee-killing ban

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Bee-killing pesticides are banned in Europe, but a giant chemical company has just asked the UK government for emergency permission to treat seeds for nearly two hundred thousand hectares of land with powerful insecticides covered by the ban.

Syngenta want farmers to use neonicotinoid pesticides on the UK's rape crop, despite an EU-wide ban introduced after research showed they were partly responsible for the collapse in bee populations. So they've asked DEFRA, the UK environment ministry to approve 'emergency use', creating a loophole that spells disaster for plans to protect our bees. Time is tight -- the decision could be made within days. Let's call on DEFRA to reject the application and protect Britain's bees.

Syngenta's application comes just a day after an international scientific review found 'clear evidence of harm' caused by neonicontoids to bees, confirming the findings of previous studies. But we can stop Syngenta's bee-killing business model getting back into Britain. Sign here to say no to Syngenta, spread the word, and help save our bees: