Prestonpans Infant School

The Friends of Cuthill Park are looking forward to helping Prestonpans Infant School plant their fruit trees at a Community Work Day on Sunday 5 February 12-3.

Why not come along and join in the fun!

Save the dates!

Our next work day in the Community Garden is on Sunday 19 February from 11 am when we will be marking out the layout for the garden and generally tidying up.


Come for 15 minutes or bring a picnic and stay longer.  Any help you can give will benefit the community as a whole so please do spread the word.



It's a family-friendly activity so bring your favourite play thing and enjoy the wide open space.

The next meeting of the Friends of Cuthill Park will be held on Thursday 23 February at 7pm in The Goth. 

Meetings are informal and you are assured of a warm welcome.

Centrepiece

Thanks to the efforts of the Community Service workers, our stone centre piece is now in situ and looking grand.

At this time of year, it's hard to imagine sitting there enjoying a wee break but it's going to happen!

Make a Difference Day

Armed with tools and food, several volunteers joined forces for CSV Make a Difference Day in Cuthill Park.

One group tackled the weeds in the area in the community garden where the community servers will be laying down a stone circle next week.

Another group planted daffodils (kindly donated by Lidl) and tulips (awarded to us from The Big Bulb Plant) around the entrance to the park.  The group also put up special Dogwatch posters, designed by schoolkids, on the gate.  Let's hope irresponsible dog walkers get the message - the park is in a dreadful state with dog mess at the moment.

A group of men moved a huge log from the wooded area down to the garden where it will be used as a handy seat.

The vegetable garden continues to flourish.  There are several squashes growing and we picked the last of the potatoes and courgettes.

One thing that would make a huge difference would be the erection of a fence by the garden area. The dog mess is a disgrace in the park and is the single biggest disincentive to recruiting new volunteers.

THANK YOU to our volunteers: Annemarie, Arran, Celia, Charlotte, Emily, Georgie, Harris, Jan B, Jan H, Jocelyn, Josie, Lucy, Mary, Max, Nigel, Rose, Stephen, Steve and Tom.  You really did MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!

Help us tackle weeds and community isolation

The Friends of Cuthill Park are holding a work day in the park for CSV Make a Difference Day on Saturday 29 October.

From 11 until 2, dependent on weather, volunteers will be weeding around the apple trees and planting bulbs.  If there are enough volunteers, it is hoped that weed suppressant fabric and landscaping materials can also be put down in the community garden area.  Volunteers are asked to bring along garden forks if they have them and refreshments.

We’ve had a really successful year in the Community Garden with bumper crops of potatoes and peas.  The apple trees we planted last year bore fruit.  What is particularly special about the project is the friendships that have formed as a result of it.  Lots of families have come along, some for half an hour, some for half a day – just enjoying the outdoors in the company other people”

The Friends of Cuthill Park welcome new members and are currently looking for a Secretary.  Meetings are friendly and informal.  Volunteers are always welcome, regardless of experience or ability.

Please nominate Cuthill Park!

Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge

Nominate your favourite outdoor area

2012 marks Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and to mark that occasion Fields in Trust are launching their Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge. This is a new campaign to protect 2012 outdoor recreational spaces in communities all across the UK as a permanent living legacy of the jubilee.
From sports pitches to woodlands, children's play areas to gardens and bicycle trails to parks, the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge will protect a diverse range of outdoor spaces ensuring that there is something to appeal to everyone.

The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge gives communities an opportunity to vote for an outdoor space in their area to become part of the scheme and be permanently protected as a tribute to the Diamond Jubilee.

• Find out more about the scheme
• Nominate your favourite places (hopefully that will include Cuthill Park!) by emailing landscapeandcountryside@eastlothian.gov.uk

Nominations need to be in by 31 August 2011, at which point East Lothian Councill will use them to work out East Lothian’s favourite outdoor spaces.  They will then submit these to the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge organisers, who will make the final selection.  You will be able to follow all this from links on our web site at the above address.

Please, please take a few seconds to send that email nominating Cuthill Park as your favourite outdoor space to landscapeandcountryside@eastlothian.gov.uk

Work Day Survey

In a bid to tackle the perennial weeds and extend the growing space in the Community Garden we need to level the ground, lay down weed suppressant fabric and put down bark. We will need lots of help. It would be really helpful if you could indicate your availability by completing the survey (link below).


http://doodle.com/sm37gq5ezq5uinw4