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rusQUARTERLY FREE NEWSLETTERkin | SPRING 2011 | [email protected] parkparklifelife Spring has finally sprung!

IN THIS ISSUE: Enjoy our special Chair’s update membership and Community Garden volunteering Ruskiniana The BIG Draw edition. Your Membership renewal donations make a 10 year tree plan real difference. And much more...

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BECOME A FRIEND AND HELP OUR PARK | VOLUNTEER AND GET INVOLVED Photo by John Steedman Chair’sChair’s reportreport by Doug Gillies

ThisThis springspring issueissue isis aa biggerbigger membershipmembership andand volunteervolunteer specialspecial edition.edition. PleasePlease renewrenew youryour membershipmembership toto helphelp supportsupport youryour parkpark throughthrough whatwhat looklook likelike toughtough financialfinancial timestimes ahead.ahead. LambethLambeth CouncilCouncil setset theirtheir budgetbudget inin FebruaryFebruary withwith reducedreduced fundingfunding forfor parksparks acrossacross thethe borough.borough. IN THE PARK... This will mean cuts to services, important now for organising including no longer funding the events and activities. For example, • We have secured funding from landfill tax to plant Park Rangers, who help reduce in the absence of the Park the old bowling green original design including the crime and arranged events in many Rangers, who have organised for two herbaceous borders. of the borough’s parks including several years the popular Egg Hunt • The rose beds will be replanted shortly, funded by the Ruskin Park. This is a serious blow at Easter time, we will need Ward Purse 2009. and will undoubtedly leave a gap, additional volunteers, otherwise which Friends groups and Safer that event will not happen. • Network Rail did some maintenance that needed Neighbourhood teams, the latter Volunteers are also needed to access to the park. They made a donation of £500 as themselves under funding assist the Committee to plan and a thank you. pressures, cannot fill alone. hold other events like the annual summer fete. We would like to do • Green Flag 2011 preparations begin. The Parks and more, as offers a lot more Greenspaces Forum, which I initiatives, but will only be able to • We received 50 free small trees (saplings), which were attend, held meetings with Byron if more people volunteer. planted on the February volunteer morning. Miller, interim Head of Parks and Renewing your current or lapsed Councillor Nosegbe, responsible membership or joining the Friends for parks, to discuss the budget for the first time will this year implications. Making savings of entitle you to a new Membership £650,000 on the Veolia park Pack. See the feature on page 5 to maintenance contract could mean was given. However, from our own calendar competition. A few join us and make a difference. reducing the numbers of staff, or funds and generous donations, we remaining calendars are still staff time in the park so they cover Thank you to those of you who have been able to purchase four available at the reduced price of only basic functions like clearing voted for the stable block as the new 6-foot benches, part of a £3.50 (was £5). Copies can be up litter and dog mess it may nomination for Lambeth’s Your range of garden furniture from ordered by contacting us at the mean a reduction in staff with Choice award in the £75,000 Verne Enterprises, Her Majesty’s usual email address. horticultural expertise and making category for money for repairs. Prison Service, The Verne in Dorset. staff more mobile between parks. Sadly, ours was not the winning bid. These benches have been built Final decisions have not yet been and finished by prisoners as part We have been working We now need help from anyone with made on all aspects of the plans, of a rehabilitation scheme that hard over the winter to successful experience of sourcing or but we all will have to work within aims to help equip offenders with completing funding applications to bring you a Ruskin these new constraints to make the practical skills, productive assist us to find funds to repair the Park website at best of the situation, working with occupation and experience that stable block. So if you have these www.ruskinpark.co.uk Lambeth Council and doing what could, in turn, lead on to their skills please get in touch. which will be ready soon. we can in the park to assist. future employment and help We will also be reviewing We requested replacement park prevent reoffending. It is your park too and we need the management and benches around the old bowling your help. Volunteering is essential For the first time we have green from the local Councillor’s tree plans for the park. to enable the Friends to operate produced a Ruskin Views Calendar Ward Purse 2010, but no funding and care for the park. This is so 2011 from pictures sent to the A buzzy partnership by Robert Tunmore

A partnership between South West London and The Maudsley The Ruskin Park Community known as it gives people an NHS Trust (SLAM), The Ruskin Park Community Garden Project Garden aims to educate and opportunity to be close to the involve the local community cycle of nature and reap the fruit and The Friends of Ruskin Park has secured funding to set up a around sustainable planting with of their labour. As this is a ‘nectar bar’, a project to involve service users from SLAM. a focus on growing vegetables community garden, service users and taking care of the who participate in the group will SLAM Members’ Council’s Bids Community Link Centre said: environment. The space in Ruskin be joining a thriving community Scheme ‘Make me Smile Again’ “This is great news. Service users Park, opposite the Maudsley organisation in which they can awarded the maximum amount from the Community Link Centre hospital, is ideally suitable for a become more widely involved as of £750 for the scheme. have been asking for a gardening weekly group for both in-patients they recover. The nectar bar will include a group at the Centre. Now they and out-patients. www.slam.nhs.uk/ range of wild flowers that will will benefit from the project by The aim is to plant a ‘nectar bar’ wellbeing-garden.aspx attract beneficial insects such as being involved in therapeutic in spring 2011. The therapeutic honey bees and butterflies which gardening within a supportive benefits of gardening are well- will also improve pollination of community setting. It will mean plants all over the park. The getting some exercise and fresh project will also include hedging air, learning new skills and for wildlife, with a range of native gaining confidence. Being part of plants such as Hazel, Hawthorn, the Ruskin Park Community Wild Privet, Dog Rose, Crab Apple Garden project will help with and Blackberry. These will attract social engagement too, our other insects, and their fruits and service users will be encouraged seeds will provide food for the to take an active part in the wild bird population in the park. planning and documenting of the project. All these things are Inet Strydom, Activities Co- important for good mental health ordinator at South London and and wellbeing.” Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Photo by Doug Gillies Ruskin Park Community Garden

A volunteer has created a detailed dressings, grated beetroot, fried planting plan that involves a four green tomatoes. Everyone brought a year crop rotation with some dish of something local to share as companion planting. We are going to well. We put our new picnic tables to grow a broad range of vegetables, good use in a fitting celebration of including some of the trickier ones what we’ve achieved. like celery. In February we had a seed In November we planted the fruit planting day, with volunteers taking beds – raspberries, gooseberries, red, home the seed containers to grow on white and black currants and rhubarb. windowsills until they’re ready to go into the ground. We held an introduction to permaculture day in December and We are very excited to be getting a used permaculture principles to beehive this spring. We have a group design the wildlife area. Patients of volunteers who have been taking from the Maudsley Hospital will help beekeeping courses and a mentor with planting up the area, which will with decades of beekeeping include hedging and wildflowers. The experience. Our purpose in keeping Maudsley won a grant to fund the bees is helping the bees to survive; planting, with help from us and gathering honey will only be done if Robert Tunmore from the Friends of there’s excess. by Therese Stowell Ruskin Park. We celebrated the harvest with a For information on dig days, please feast in September. We cooked and visit the web site After a productive autumn and a fairly ate what we grew: potato, green www.ruskinparkcommunity bean, sugar snap pea and beetroot quiet winter, we are looking forward to garden.org. green salad with mint, roasted spring at the community garden. squash with three different Most local people will know that Ruskin Park is named after , the grounds and gardens of his former home making up part of Ruskin Park as we know it. He was born on Feb 8th 1819 and moved to the area when he was 4 years old. Ruskiniana by Robert Tunmore No.28

The landscape must have gardens front and rear, well looked very different in his day. stocked with fruit and flowers – W G Collingwood writes in his quite an Eden for a little boy, and biography “The Life of all the more that the fruit of it John Ruskin”: was forbidden…..” “In the next year (1823) they Later Collingwood describes how quitted the town for a suburban as a young man in his 20s ’John home. The spot they chose was in Ruskin ‘worked from his study rural Dulwich, on Herne Hill, a looking out upon the quiet long offshoot of the Surrey meadow and grazing cows of downs; low, and yet commanding . green fields and scattered houses If you enjoy a glass of sherry, it in the foreground, with rich may be of interest to know that undulating country to the south, John Ruskin’s father – also John and looking across London toward Ruskin - made his fortune Windsor and Harrow. It is all built through the sherry trade, up now; but their house (the importing the fortified wine present No 28) must have been as from Spain. secluded as any in a country village. The suburbs were, of To learn more about John Ruskin, The course, once country villages, and The Carnegie Library has a range as pleasant in their old-fashioned of literature written by and about Big comfort. There were ample the man and his life. Draw Utility Company Park by Alistair Wardell Works

The annual Big Draw took place on Saturday 9th Oct. This You may have noticed that there is cable laying work increasingly popular event gives children (and some taking place in our park. The work was scrutinised and adults!) the opportunity to get creative with chalks. agreed before it began by the utility company and the Park Manager Lee Hills. From the Children’s by the Community Playground to the Community Greenhouses to raise funds EDF are laying a new cable from Denmark Hill to the site at Gardens and up and around for a Bee Project. The event, Bengeworth Road. This will cross through the park from the the Pond, footpaths were organised by Park Ranger Denmark Hill gate to the paddling pool. This will cause a fair bit covered with a variety of Diane Nash and Park Support of disruption, involving digging up the park and removing some designs and drawings. Music Officer Lara Bonici was trees. Once the work is completed money will be provided by on the Bandstand provided supported by the Friends of the utility company to ensure that any damage is repaired and background entertainment Ruskin Park who supplied the agreed trees replaced. and delicious cakes were sold chalk and volunteers. Spring is here again and it’s the time of year for renewal, not least of your membership Join us! of the Friends of Ruskin Park. Your donations make a real difference.

by Hilary Payne During this past year our lovely Green Flag park has been the venue for public events such as the summer fête, the Easter egg hunt, bandstand concerts and the Big Draw. VolunteeringVolunteering meansmeans

It also holds many more personal • Deliver some newsletters to memories for local people, such as local homes? aa lotlot toto usus andand isis sledging in the snow, picnicking on • Bring your experience of warm summer evenings, playing sourcing and applying for funds goodgood forfor youyou too!too! football on the sports field, splashing to help with the conversion of in the paddling pool and climbing up the stable block into a café and the rigging on the playground, or just community centre which sitting and enjoying the view. The Offering just a little of your time each month can be fun and remains a priority this year? Park Rangers organised and ran two rewarding in many ways. With cuts this year affecting events with the support of The Let us know on the membership support for the park, volunteering is now more important Friends of Ruskin Park. Your form if you have any particular than ever to help deliver our events and projects for the membership fees bought the skills or experience you would be coming year. Here are a few things to help you decide to resources for these events. All this willing to offer to the Friends and make a difference. and your practical support help to we will be in touch. make the park a safe and attractive • Assist the Committee plan and hold events, place for everyone to enjoy Our membership has grown projects and initiatives, throughout the year. Now without considerably in the last few years. • Help us identify and successfully apply for funding to the Park Rangers we need your help The more members we have, the repair and renovate the stable block, and support more than ever. stronger is our voice when we negotiate with Lambeth Council and • Help care for and improve our park doing monthly gardening With your money we are able to other bodies with a stake in the park. at a time when Lambeth may provide less cover for this, buy new trees, park benches, produce publicity materials and run • Help us ensure we retain our Green Flag award, the big events. We also greatly What you get with • Contribute towards keeping our park looking good and safe, appreciate any little bit of your time your membership: that you are able to give to our park. • Improve biodiversity, All members will receive a Could you spare some time to: Guide to Ruskin Park and a • Educate you and park users about the park and park issues, Friends of Ruskin Park • Spend an hour helping on a stall • Allow you to play a part in your local community giving you window sticker. at a public event? a sense of ownership & pride, • Help organise our annual • Help grow food in the Community Garden, Summer Fête, 25 June 2011? Do join or renew your • Have a sociable time meeting other volunteers from the • Get a breath of fresh air and membership now, and see if you local area, and exercise while gardening at our can get one friend or neighbour to monthly volunteer mornings? join as well. Every bit helps. We • Improve your health and well being, (first Saturday of each month) look forward to hearing from you! e.g. some gardening can be a light workout. I/We would like to become member(s) of the Friends of Ruskin Park.

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Membership Secretary, Friends of Ruskin Park, 5 Anderton Close, off Champion Hill, London SE5 8BU. 10 year tree strategy by Mary Kidd

During a walk in the park by Mary Kidd, our Vice Chair, Lee Hills, Agreement has been reached • to plant a second walnut tree Park Manager, and Dave Paul, Lambeth’s Tree Coordinator, the on the following: close to the first one, beside the park’s tree stock was reviewed. Trees were identified to be felled large turkey oak near the Finsen • The ash will stay along the due to age or disease, some of which had already been identified Road gate. This will help produce sports field sides parallel to more nuts. as needing attention. These are the ones with the Lambeth tree Herne Hill Road/Denmark Hill, felling notices on them. but will be replaced with, as yet • to replace the felled laburnum undecided, species along the on the path from the shelter down to the paddling pool. Dave Paul has helpfully agreed to Many of Ruskin’s trees are coming edges parallel to Ferndene/ assist us in planning a long term to the end of their lives, having Finsen Roads. Lee and Dave may The aim is to keep Ruskin Park as Tree Strategy for Ruskin Park. The been planted up to a hundred consider different species of oak. the flagship arboretum for the current strategy ends during 2011. years ago. It will take careful • to continue planting sweet Borough, with over forty species The new ten year strategy will planning to ensure they are chestnut to replace the diseased of different trees in the park. include provision for treating replaced appropriately, taking horse chestnut avenue, dangerous and diseased trees, account of all influencing factors, If you have any questions or including felling and e.g. the effects of climate change • to plant two lime trees to fill in suggestions about the Tree replacement, as required. and what maintenance will be gaps and possibly more along Strategy or thoughts on available in future. the path from the shelter up replacing the sports field ash toward Ferndene Road, please contact us.

Marking the sports field centenary... A plethora of planting The crocus bulbs are now in bloom along the Ferndene Road perimeter of the sports field and we have some lovely purple allium globes to look forward to when they come into bloom around the bandstand later in the spring. This generous contribution marked 100 years of the sports field extension in 1910 and will help improve the area around the playing field. In January, The Friends of Ruskin Park held a volunteer day to plant 50 saplings donated through “The Big Tree Plant” by BTCV and Keep Britain Tidy. Veolia helped plant the remaining 10 as we ran out of time! These are now growing along the edge of the sports field parallel to Herne Hill Road. Young oak and rowan trees were also planted along the back of the new pond, with silver birch saplings set among the spring bulbs opposite the 1 O'Clock Club. New cherry trees were planted as a companion for the by Robert Tunmore existing ones at the Ferndene Road side of the stable block. “The Big Tree Plant” is part of the Government’s new national tree planting Thanks to the kind donation towards spring campaign, where Keep Britain Tidy has teamed up with the Department for bulbs from Joyce Bellamy and the Metropolitan Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and BTCV to plant 100,000 trees across England. This will be a great achievement for the Public Gardens Association, which Lambeth environmental sector across the country and will make a positive Parks also supported, the Friends were able to impact on the landscape of Ruskin Park. hold a bulb planting day back in November. To learn more visit http://thebigtreeplant.direct.gov.uk Photo by James Petts Coming up...

Easter Egg Hunt Hopefully we can hold this event on Saturday 30 April in the afternoon. It will only go ahead if we get enough volunters to replace the Park Ranger support we would normally have. The Salvation Army Concert The Salvation Army are not able to provide an Easter service at the bandstand this year, but we are looking at a possible summer Songs of Praise in the Park. Summer Concerts We are checking with Lambeth if a summer series of bandstand concerts is possible in 2011. Fete Community Stalls Calendar photo Our Summer Fete will be held on Saturday 25 June. competition If your community or voluntary group/organisation The winners of the calendar photo competition in would like a stall around the November were: James Petts, Tom Burt, John bandstand, please phone Steedman, Lorenzo Zorzanello, Isobel Bennett, Lara on 07958 028275. Mary Kidd and Doug Gillies Volunteer days This photo of the band stand in the snow was taken by James Petts. We have used some of the other Got some spare time at winners’ photos in this edition weekends? We meet on the first Saturday of every month at the stable block, 10am for 2 hours. Turn up to join in. THECAMBRIA Useful numbers... A LOT MORE THAN JUST YOUR LOCAL Parks Manager – Lee Hills & Park Rangers 020 7926 9000 Membership information Hilary Payne 020 7733 6910

Upstairs@theCambria: Friends Committee Two beautifully refurbished rooms available FREE of hire charge. Chair – Doug Gillies For weddings, Birthdays or any Vice Chair – Mary Kidd occasion that requires a touch of Treasurer – Mark Ewing Glamour. Please Contact us for Membership Secretary – more information. Hilary Payne Secretary – Ben Thomas Newsletter Editor – • Music Monday with a Meal Deal Robert Tunmore Events Assistant – Bob Goodrick • Thursday Quiz Night with Cash Prizes Funding Co-ordinator – • Available for parties Tim Jones Co-opted committee members: • Great Roasts every Sunday Lara Mifsud-Bonici • Free WI-FI & Baby Changing Got any stories?

If you have any articles, pictures or feedback you would like to 40 KEMERTON ROAD | | SE5 9AR | TEL: 020 7737 3676 include in future editions, www.thecambrialondon.com | Email: [email protected] then please email them to [email protected]