A community group caring for our wonderful park
Given the current situation, FOHP are cancelling our events for the foreseeable future, including both fundraising and volunteering events.
This is to protect both our volunteers and the local community.
Events cancelled include the AGM, Easter Egg Hunt and Plant Sale.
We’ll be keeping you updated as normal with all the park and local news – bringing you a bit of normality.
This report is provisional and will be either accepted or updated at the Friends of Hamworthy Park AGM on Thursday, April 16th, 19.00, at Hamworthy Library. It will then be submitted to the Charity Commission.
Opens pdf: FOHP Annual Report and Accounts2019
It’s been a mixed bag of Wednesdays over the past month or so, what with the ever changing weather.
Following our purchase of further supplies of paint, fence painting has resumed on the few panels we are able to complete, but only when we are not too busy with other tasks (and the weather is good!).
Once the council finish pressure washing the remainder of the fence – they did promise to get it done last September when they stopped the volunteers doing it – we hope to organise another weekend volunteer painting session.
It’s been an ongoing job – returning sand to the beach that recent storms had washed into the children’s play area.
The recent storms have also undermined more areas on the promenade….
And the little ‘Ricky-racky’ bridge has had a tough winter – further erosion has exposed part of the structure, which is rotten.
You may remember that as well as keeping the park flower beds beautiful, FOHP volunteers take the time to look after various planters and flowerbeds around Hamworthy. Let’s get an update…
Despite the recent bad weather, both the flower beds in the park and the Blandford Road planters are displaying a good amount of colour.
Some of the crocus and daffodils are starting to fade in a number of the locations but the hyacinths are in their prime and a few dwarf tulips are starting to appear.
The one location we have trouble with is the bed outside Boots and McColls. We find it very difficult to get plants to grow there, we have planted many primulars and bellis but they do not thrive like the ones outside the park cafe. There is a very invasive weed in this bed so if we can deal with that we may have a bit more success.
FOHP sent this report to BCP Council in October 2019 after a visual inspection of the pool. It was used, along with the Council’s own defect list, to inform the contractor on what remedial work needed doing.
We hope you’ve had a great start to 2020! It’s a new year and that means plenty to get done in Hamworthy Park.
Below, you can read about the priorities for this year. There will be plenty of opportunities for volunteering from fence painting to prepping the extended wildflower bed.
See you in the park!
Paddling pool remedial work: Remedial work is due to start in late January, putting right some of the issues you noticed over the summer. When we have more info, we’ll let you know.
Pressure washing and painting the fence: hundreds of you joined us last year to help paint the fence around the paddling pool and play area. This year, we are finishing the job. Parts of the fence need digging out where sand has piled up — then we can pressure wash and finally paint.
Paddling pool wall repair: Some sections of the wall around the paddling pool are loose or coming loose. It’s dangerous. The wall will need to be repointed/repaired.
Promenade entrance to the play area: the area by the south gate to the play area needs sorting out. It’s pitted and the grass is eroded away – we think it needs paving as grass just seems to get eroded away.
Provision of shade: we are looking into types of shelters that might be suitable for the park. There used to be a shelter in the park, much loved by dog walkers on a wet day, but it became part of the outdoor education centre.
Supplying picnic tables: FOHP are in talks with the council to provide a number of picnic tables for the park.
Seating by Tennis Court: this includes some benches by the tennis court as requested by people who play there.
Promenade sweeping and repair: during the winter, the prom needs regular sweeping – we are talking with the council to see if they will do this. In the long term, the prom will need upgrading.
Outdoor Education Compound: the compound by the outdoor education centre is very overgrown and needs tidying up.
FOHP tool store: we have to take all our tool down to the park every volunteer session – it’d be easier if we could store them in the park ready for use.
Erosion at the Eastern End: the erosion continues apace with the autumn and winter storms. The Council are waiting on a permit – once that comes in, it’s a case of chasing up the work that needs doing.
Extending the wildflower area: after the success of the wildflower area behind the floodbank, we are extending it to at least twice the size. We’ll run a volunteer day in March to get the ground dug, ready to lay the special wild flower turf.
Refurb of flower bed by Ashmore Avenue entrance: the flower bed at the entrance to the park needs some serious work. It needs a plan of action and then a good old refurbishment.
Toilet refurb: last year, the new council announced funds to refurbish the toilets in the park. We haven’t heard anything else about this, but the toilets are in dire need of a full refurbishment.
Blandford road planters: we are continuing to look after and plant up the planters along Blandford Road – this year we plan to add some water retaining gel to the planters to reduce the amount of watering our volunteers have to do in the summer.
Litter picking in Hamworthy: we are continuing our winter litter picks out and about in Hamworthy. We are supporting groups and individuals with practical help and contacts, helping to grow the number of people who are out and about keeping Hamworthy tidy.
A massive thank you to all our volunteers and supporters – here’s to another great year in Hamworthy Park!
With the last two Wednesdays falling on the most important days of the festive season, it has been understandable that volunteer numbers have been a bit lower than usual.
Nevertheless, litter picking in the park has continued over the holiday as has clearing up poo after irresponsible dog owners. We even managed a bit of gardening.
Thanks to Muddy Boots Nursery, the Wednesday Volunteers have been enjoying the container of chocolates given to us before Christmas. But we are only allowed one for every bucket of litter we pick up! Thank you Muddy Boots – we do love to see you in the park.
We do get some lovely dogs enjoying themselves in the park. Some obviously got too many presents for Christmas as they keep leaving them for us to find! Any lost toys can be reclaimed from the Paddling Pool Van on Wednesday mornings — by the park cafe. At the last count there were eleven balls in the van! In the spirit of the holiday, we can always find a less well off dog who would appreciate one of the unclaimed balls.
On New Year’s Day we met a family enjoying themselves for the first time in their newly acquired beach hut – note the festive decoration over the entrance. The air was a little damp, but what a great way to spend New Years day…in Hamworthy Park!
Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2020.
In late November, we had a publicity event in the Hamworthy Coop foyer. This turned out to be a quiet day due to the weather. But the main reason for being there was to be presented with a cheque for £3614.13 by the manager.
This amount was raised through the Coop Local Community Fund by the local Coop customers who have nominated the Friends as their favourite local cause. We then get 1% of what they spend on Coop brand products when they use their Coop cards.
FOHP have been accepted on to this scheme for a further year so if you are a Coop member, please register us as your favourite local cause.
We raised a total of £52.14 on the day for our funds so thank you to our volunteers who looked after our stall at various times throughout the day
Saturday 23 November saw FOHP attend the St Edwards Christmas Fayre where we had been offered a free table. We took our usual FOHP publicity material, Christmas cards, coasters, key rings and fridge magnets, etc and also some jams and chutneys. Either side of this on our table we had two tombolas – one for children the other adults.
Pictured is Pat at our stall when she had a visit from the Poole Town Crier and some stormtroopers! We raised a modest £47.30 – not bad for an event so far afield.
The next fund raising event was the Christmas Fayre at St Michael’s Church, Hamworthy. There was a great atmosphere as children played games and met Santa for a photo and a present. This being home turf, we raised over £300.
So, from all the events we raised over £400 – many thanks to all who helped and all who came to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere.
From all of us here at FOHP, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
On Wednesday, the volunteers carried out the usual litter and dog poo picking. We also cleared the flower bed in front of the cafe of the ornamental grasses. This was because they were starting to smother the rose bushes. With this done, we could prune the roses that could not be reached last week.
The bed looks a bit of a mess now but we will tidy it up this coming Wednesday and meanwhile consider what new plants we might put in. Hopefully, over the winter months, a number of the existing primulas will provide a bit of colour.
Having cleared the western end of the promenade of sand and debris last week, we found that the eastern end was not so bad. What had been deposited there was returned to the beach.
The previous Wednesday, we were busy at the western end of the park. So we are not sure when it occurred – but we see that a tree near the redundant outdoor education centre had blown over in the recent strong winds. We’ve reported this to the Council who will hopefully deal with it soon. The Council doesn’t allow our volunteers to use power tools in the park – something that we are working hard to change!
A spectacular looking star fish was seen today – the largest one I have seen in one our beach. A man was trying to return it to the water without much success as the next wave beached it again. Not being an expert on marine life, I’m not sure if it is too late once it has been deposited on the beach – perhaps there is an expert out there who can let us know.
Last week we noted that something in the water near a groyne had taken the interest of a lady – she informed us it was a cuttlefish she had seen swimming, but when I got there hoping for a photo it had disappeared. We know they are about as it is not unusual to find the odd cuttlefish bone on the beach.
If you would like to get some fresh air, meet people and make a difference, then come and join one of our volunteering groups.
Wednesday Volunteers – meet every Wednesday in Hamworthy Park, 9.30 am outside the park cafe. Just turn up!
Saturday Volunteers – we run a programme of Saturday volunteer events roughly once a month.
See our website or Facebook for further details. Or get in contact.