Join us Friday December 16th 2022 at 6:30pm for Carols in the Pavilion

After a long hiatus, Carols in the Pavilion returns! 

Please join us for music and refreshments from 6:30pm on Friday, December 16th. All are welcome.

 Sponsored by the Friends of Cottenham Park.

Founding Member and Former Chair Michael Woods Honoured with Tree and Plaque near the Pavilion

The Friends of Cottenham Park have worked with Merton Council to honour local resident Michael Woods with a tree planting and plaque in the park.

Michael was a founding member and original chair of the Friends of Cottenham Park group, and served actively for many years benefitting the park and local community. He passed away in 2021. His wife served as the secretary of the group as well. She participated in the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony in the park on Easter Day. (shown with Jill Smith after the ribbon cutting)

The Prunus Sunset Boulevard cherry tree near the pavilion will bloom white flowers in spring and provide bright autumn colour as well.

Update: Carols in the Pavilion cancelled for 2021

We're sorry to announce that we are unable to hold the annual Carols in the Pavilion for 2021 due to the ongoing COVID transmission risk. Please disregard the previous post that you may have seen here announcing the carols.

Here's to an improved 2022 situation regarding coronavirus! 

And a thank you to the Council and IDVerde for the recent paint updates to the pavilion. It is looking great in the autumn light.

Regards,

FOCP

Annual General Meeting: Sunday 3rd October 2021--11:45 am for Noon start

The Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Cottenham Park will be held on Sunday the 3rd October. We are very pleased to be able to welcome members again, after such difficult times.

Arrive at the Pavilion around 11:45 for tea and coffee. The meeting will start at Noon.

Chairman Mike Hammond and Secretary Max Gladwyn are stepping down from their roles. We welcome new committee appointments, as well as new and returning members. 

Come along and learn about the activities of the Friends of Cottenham Park and how you can become involved in making the park the best it can be.

Welcoming new and returning members to the Friends group! Updates as of June 2021

We hope you and your families are all safe and well. It has been some time since we have communicated but it does not mean the FOCP has stopped doing its great work. 

We thought it best to not seek subscriptions for 2020, though thank you to those who kindly contacted us and donated. Your prior year subscriptions and donations have helped maintain the corner gardens of the park over the past year and plant snowdrops around the Oak Tree. Look out for them next spring! 

The FOCP also helped plant four trees donated by a resident, one for each grandchild, and we have continued to water them over the Summer. We will continue to ensure they are watered in the dry periods for the next three years and may need some community help with this. 

A former resident’s family donated a bench in memory of their mother who lived for 50 years in Cambridge Road and loved the park. We met with the family and Idverde to arrange the position of the bench, which is now located on the west side of the park. 

The FOCP also lobbied the council and Idverde to fund the preservation work of the Oak Tree. We were delighted that it received necessary pruning and the pathway was altered around the tree. 

The committee also lobbied the council about the state of the ground in the playground. You may have noticed that half of the playground was cordoned off for some time. Council worker Jonathan Turner was able to secure funding for the improvements. 

We very much hope the park was a source of some relief in the lockdown for you all and we look forward to hopefully resuming our beloved Tea in the Park and the Christmas Carols. 

If you are a returning member of the Friends: We would like to request the annual £5 subscription for 2021. Please email friendsofcottenhampark@gmail.com for payment details. And if you would like to join the group and help with the work of the Friends, please email us at the same address: friendsofcottenhampark@gmail.com. 

We are very much in need of new committee members. Our valued Secretary is retiring his services. Please come and help support the local community and the park. We meet four times a year and any amount of time you can contribute would be very much appreciated. 

See you in the park!!!

Please avoid fenced off area in children's playground

The fenced off area of the children’s playground has become unsafe, due to the ground conditions. 

We are working with the Council to potentially provide rubber matting to improve play safety. 

In the meantime, we ask that you please avoid the area, until the barrier fence and signs are removed. Please do not climb or go through the fences.

We'll post when the area is safe for use again.

 

Friends of Cottenham Park now on Instagram

The Friends of Cottenham Park are now on Instagram. 

You can follow us there at: https://www.instagram.com/cottenhampark_sw20/

Tag @cottenhampark_sw20 on your photos there!