Work Day - CANCELLED

The work day previously arranged for Sat 17 November has had to be cancelled.
Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Grasslands survey

East Lothian Council are running a number of site projects aimed at improving natural grasslands and it would be really good if some local people could complete this questionnaire to show levels of interest here.

The link - http://tinyurl.com/savingmagnificentmeadows will take you to a 10m minute survey which is a national survey trying to raise public awareness and interest in natural grasslands.

To read more about grasslands, and just why they are so important, you might want to take a look at the relevant Plantlife pages here.

Thank you for making a difference!

We were so lucky with the weather on Saturday 27th October - the last day of British Summer Time.

And, we are so lucky to have so many community-minded individuals, families and organisations to come along and help in the park and make the day such a success.

The 1st Prestonpans Guides did an amazing job clearing the weeds along the borders and between the apple trees.  The Community Garden has never looked so good!

East Lothian Council had kindly supplied a trailer load of bark which our volunteers moved by wheelbarrow to form paths.

We then filled the empty trailer with weeds for the Council to take away.  There was a lot and some of the nettles were taller than us (and given that some of us are 6'3, they were pretty big nettles!).

Thank you everyone for taking part in our third Make a Difference Day event.

The next work day is Saturday 17 November

Make a Difference this weekend!

Following the success of their recent Big Green Weekend, the Friends of Cuthill Park are planning a CSV Make a Difference Day event on Saturday 27 October (11-4) and are looking for volunteers.
 

Friends' Secretary Charlotte Aitchison was confident that the community would support Make a Difference Day and said "We were delighted that so many people turned up to erect bird boxes, dig up weeds and generally improve the park two weeks ago. We are very grateful to the community in Prestonpans and hope they will support us again with a final push before winter”

Charlotte continued “We going to be helped by the 1^st Prestonpans Guides who have been terrific supporters of the park and previously helped plant bulbs. There will be something for everyone and whether you can come along for 15 minutes to gather seeds or stay for an hour weeding, whatever help you can give really does "make a difference" and is very much appreciated by visitors to the park”.

Come along and join us - there will be certificates and stickers for our young helpers and a limited number of t-shirts for the grown-ups!

Further information can be obtained from friendsofcuthillpark@gmail.com, 07847 566 146 or follow @cuthillpark on Twitter.

2012 AGM

On 4th October, the Friends held their AGM in the Prestoungrange Gothenburg.

We are pleased to report that Tom Ewing has been re-elected as Chairman with Zoe Inglis elected as Vice Chair.

Jan Holden remains in post as Treasurer but has stepped down as Secretary.  The new Secretary is Charlotte Aitchison.

We would take this opportunity to thank all the supporters, volunteers, families, community groups and individuals who have helped us over the year.

We always need help - administrative, gardening, organising, fundraising, publicising, tea-making.  There are jobs for everyone and we really would appreciate some more friends!

The Big Green Weekend

On Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th October, Cuthill Park will be a hive of activity!

We need as much help as we possibly can get to give the Community Garden a makeover.  There will be weeds to be dug up, fences to be erected, a shed to install, weeds to be dug, litter to be picked, borders to be planted.  Oh, and weeds, did we mention the weeds?

Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th October

11 - 4

Please spread the word so the community can pull together to make The Big Green Weekend a truly memorable experience.

For more info, or to let us know you will be coming, please email friendsofcuthillpark@gmail.com

The Big Day - Love Parks Week

The Friends of Cuthill Park are celebrating Love Parks Week with The Big Day on Sunday 22 July. The event, which brings together The Friends of Hamilton House, Preston Lodge Rugby Club and other community groups, is an opportunity to put forward your views and learn more about planned developments in Prestonpans.

The Big Day takes place upstairs in The Goth, High Street, Prestonpans from 12.30 until 3 p.m.

The Love Parks Week campaign has always been aimed at raising awareness of the importance of parks and green spaces, showcasing the benefits they bring and highlighting the need for continual investment and engagement. This year the campaign will highlight what a healthy (quality) green space looks like and will begin to assess the nation’s parks by encouraging people to give their park a simple health check.

Jan Barker, Friends of Cuthill Park Trustee, said: "In terms of quality, Cuthill Park scores 40% - well below the standard (70%).  However, the Friends, in partnership with East Lothian Council, have already embarked on a programme of improvement which includes the sowing of wildflower areas, planting heritage fruit trees and community bulb planting.  We have exciting future plans for the park and would love to have more volunteers - and hear more ideas."

(You can read the Prestonpans Cluster Assessment for East Lothian Council's Open Space Strategy here)

Paul Bramhill, CEO of charity GreenSpace, highlights the importance of the campaign: “As the benefits of parks have become more recognised, unfortunately the future of green space management is at risk. Local authority budgets are being dramatically reduced and we cannot expect community groups, that already identify they need more funding, training and volunteers, to be the only solution. Parks need to be properly financed to remain healthy – accessible, safe, lush, full of life, welcoming and a hub of the community. I cannot stress enough how important this year’s campaign is, please start to think about the future health of your park.”