It all started with a small group of local residents getting together as a ‘Working Group’ and on 31st August 2003 we held the first ‘Tea in the Park’ to raise awareness of what we were aiming to do. Over the course of the two hours we had over 50 local people enjoying tea and biscuits and showing support.
Our aims were simple: to work with the London Borough of Merton Council in helping to keep the park as a pleasant and inviting place to be. This has remained our core aim. We raised sufficient funds to buy two trees, the council then matched this with a gift of two more trees – this eventually resulted in the renewal of the diagonal avenue of trees which you see today.
The Inaugural Meeting was then held in the Pavilion on Wednesday 26th November 2003, with 53 potential members present. The working group became the Committee, a Constitution was drawn up, an action plan was agreed and FCP was officially in business! Mo Hammond, who had set up the park opening roster some seven years previously, was invited to join the committee. This was a time of considerable graffiti and vandalism which was spoiling our park so the first aim was to upgrade and restore as much as possible as funds allowed.
By the time of our first AGM in October 2004, we had established a good working relationship with the Parks & Leisure Dept. at Merton Council. At this time we established a ‘Wish List’ which would be augmented by members at the various events planned for the future.
As a result, over the next few years, we achieved: restoring the garden immediately in front of the Pavilion and established new corner ones, the children’s playground fencing was extended to give a larger dog-free area and a new picnic bench was installed, we purchased new benches (installed around the park by LBM) and planted more trees. ‘Encouraged’ by FCP, the Council re-surfaced the tennis courts and then installed the new security fencing and the pavilion was re-painted.
The work of improving and maintaining has continued, we have won grants for new railings along Melbury Gardens and for new equipment for the children’s playground. However, this is not history but ongoing and the future. Most of the members of the present FCP committee have remained; more than ever, we now need more active support from our Friends to help maintain the high standards we have achieved to date – it is not such an easy environment as it was!
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Since the Friends were formed in 2003 we have worked with Merton to develop and enhance the Park. We have raised approximately £15,000 and the involvement and support of community cooperation is priceless.
Each year we have held a ‘Tea Party’ (200+ people attending), a Christmas Carol evening (70 people braved the snow this year) so both very popular community events.
An Annual General Meeting is held each March.
Since 1995 the Friends have opened the 4 park gates and the tennis courts from April to October each year.
Funds raised have paid for:
• A Friends noticeboard
• Many new trees planted, including along the line of the ancient hedge
• New picnic table and bench in the children’s playground
• 6 new benches in the park
• Spring flowering bulbs planted
• New beds dug in the pavilion garden and planted with shrubs and trees*
• A wildlife friendly garden planted in the SW corner of the park*
• A shrub garden planted in the NW corner of the park*
(*Maintenance of these gardens is carried out by the Friends ongoing)
Architecture Students from Kingston University have used the park for a planning project with ideas discussed with residents.
In 2010 we obtained grants totalling £95,000 from Viridor Waste Management and The Marathon Fund. These have paid for :
• New safety fence along the alley next to the children’s playground
• New railings along Melbury Gardens completed in the Autumn 2010
• Playground railings moved and partly renewed to enlarge the area
• New playground equipment which is was installed in January 2011
• Existing playground equipment will be refurbished and repainted
This is a total of approximately £110,000
In discussion with Merton, but funded by them: and totaling approximately another £100,000, further work has been done by them to enhance the park over the past 8 years:
• An extension to the fenced area in the children’s playground
• Outside of the pavilion refurbished and repainted
• Pavilion refurbished inside for the Montessori Nursery that now operates in school term time
• Tarmac surface laid to the “diagonal” path to the playground
• New fencing for the tennis courts
• New windows in the pavilion
• Tarmac paths all around the park resurfaced
• New railings along Cambridge Road (£40,000 )
We continue to work with Merton and the local community to protect, maintain and enhance our precious park.