Coffee morning & AGM

The Friends of Cuthill Park are holding a coffee morning at Prestonpans Town Hall on Saturday 21st May from 10am until noon. 

There will be opportunities for children & adults to make their own fairy/hobbit/mouse door, and to learn how to draw labyrinths, plus other activities such as face painting.

We will be displaying photos of the park & community garden, discussing our future plans and asking for feedback & ideas. Please come and join us! 

Our AGM will also take place briefly around 10am.

Some sample fairy doors: 

Raised beds - all systems go!

In the community garden the raised beds are almost all freshly dug & ready for planting.

We spent an hour there this afternoon, being productive & then relaxing in the sunshine. Cuthill Park is beautiful & full of birdsong at this time of year - a great place to leave the cares of the world behind and de-stress. 

8 month old sleeping, 4 year old making a muddy mess, 7 year old learning to plant leeks & 11 year old managing to take a non-blurry photo! 

Look at all that freshly dug soil! 

There's more top soil in the pile up the hill from the container if any raised bed holders need more (might need sieving though). 

Collapsing in an exhausted heap at the top of the hill to sun bathe.

The obligatory roll down the hill. 8 month old not quite sure how to join in with that just yet.

So, now things are being planted in the beds please, if you walk your dog in Cuthill Park, keep them out of the community garden. Several hours of work (not to mention the money invested in seeds & seedlings) can be destroyed by an excited/out of control dog in a few seconds. 

Magnificent Magpost!

We are grateful to East Lothian Council for installing the MagPost in the Play Area.

You may recall that we were awarded civic pride funding for the Magpost with the aim of fostering a greater respect and understanding of the flora and fauna of the park.

We ordered the MagPost from Caledonia Play,  a Scottish company whose play equipment is made using slow grown, treated timbers from sustainable managed sources. 

The MagPost incorporates a scientific quality 5x magnifying glass on a hardwood post. This, along with it's accessibility makes it an ideal means for exploring the natural world and encouraging experimentation to stimulate a child's knowledge of science through play.

We would love to see how you use the MagPost - tweet us a photo (@cuthillpark)

Impromptu Litter Pick

The team.

Flyers.

And more flyers.

Several large pieces of luggage were discovered. 

And just when we thought there couldn't possibly be any more of those flyers ... 

And now the wildlife area under the trees is looking much better. No photos of that unfortunately as we were playing too hard in the park to remember to take any at the end. 

From Cuthill Park, with love!

More Paths & a Patio

Here's a look at today's progress on the community garden paths. Not long now until the concrete surfacing is finished. 

Help to have your dog micro chipped

From April it will be compulsory for all dogs to be microchipped

All dogs in Scotland are required to be microchipped following the introduction of a new law aimed at helping to reduce the number of lost and abandoned dogs.

Dog owners across East Lothian will be able to get their pet microchipped at a reduced rate thanks to an initiative between East Lothian Council and Animals 1st veterinary practice based in Macmerry and Haddington.

Cabinet member for Environment, Cllr Norman Hampshire, explained:

“Microchipping is an invaluable aid to help reunite owners with lost or stolen pets. It can also help to reduce the number of strays taken to rescue centres because their owner couldn’t be traced. From April 2016 all dogs in Scotland will be required to be microchipped so this initiative by the council and Animals 1st will help owners comply with the new legislation. Dog owners simply need to contact the council’s safer communities team to receive a voucher which they then use to make an appointment at Animals 1st and get their dog microchipped for only £6 instead of the usual cost of £18.”

Dog owners interested in getting a voucher should contact Amenity Officers  Tel: 01620 827310 or 01620 827388 or email dogwatch@eastlothian.gov.uk

Who's watching you?

The Prestongrange and Cuthill community are the park's eyes and ears and are urged to report dog fouling, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour with the park.

East Lothian Council has set up a dedicated telephone helpline/e-mail address so you can report this or seek advice in a safe, easy and effective way.

Email: asb@eastlothian.gov.uk

Telephone: 0845 601 8518 or the police on 101

Report online here

In an emergency always dial 999.

The vast majority of visitors to Cuthill Park are considerate, respectful and law-abiding, however, to the few who are intent on criminality we would remind them.....

....you are being watched.