Friends of Parklands

NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2016

Volunteer Opportunities at Temple on an occasional basis. Volunteers would be expected to the Temple assist the paid member of staff. DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Did you ever fancy being a Volunteers will be enrolled as FWP Committee Meetings National Trust volunteer but there is Epping Forest Visitor Centre Wednesday 9th November, no historic properties nearby to love volunteers to comply with insurance 14th December (social tba). and cherish? requirements and to wear Epping

Forest uniform. A half-day induc- Do you have an interest in history tion event will be arranged for Venue: Wanstead Golf and a knowledge of the heritage those who are interested in joining Club Wanstead Park in particular? Now is the Temple volunteer rota and your chance to help out we have Time: 7.30 training will be given in the basic an historic property on our door- requirements such as fire evacua- step! Friends of WPL walks. tion procedures, health and safety, The Temple in Wanstead Park is a and brief history. Saturday 22nd October Grade II listed building dating from You would be expected to assist Autumn Colours on the the 1760s and is a survival from the Chestnut Trail Walk with promotion and publicity of the heyday of Wanstead Park. Park and Epping Forest generally. Venue: Warren Road Car It is open to the public every week- You would need to be enthusiastic Park end giving visitors the opportunity and willing to share this enthusiasm Time: 11am-1pm followed not only to visit this unique and with the public, and prepared to by Tea and home-made cake provided by FWP beautiful building but also to learn greet visitors and offer them a brief about the extraordinary history of introduction to the Temple and the the Park. Park. You would need to be ap- Wren Group Events proachable and friendly to meet Recently there have been difficul- Sunday 23rd October the needs of the wide range of visi- ties finding enough staff to keep the tors with differing requirements, Fungi in the south of the Temple open at weekends. have good verbal communication Forest walk. To help remedy this situation the skills and be able to handle small Venue: Quaker Meeting City of is looking for people cash sales. House, Bush Road E11 who would like to volunteer at the The Temple is open Saturdays and Time: 10.30am- 12.30 Sundays October to March 10am- Monday 7th November 3pm, and April to September 12pm Local Nature Photography -5pm. a talk by Dr Peter Warne, with special reference to If you are interested in being a vol- the flora and fauna of unteer and attending an induction . day at the Temple, please contact Venue: Wanstead Golf Shelley Ross: Club, E11 [email protected] Time: 7pm Friends of Wanstead Parklands

OUR BID FOR FUNDS FROM TESCO

As you probably know if you have signed the petition Tesco has teamed up with Ground- work on its Bags of Help initiative in hundreds of regions across England and Wales. The scheme will see three community groups and projects in each of these regions awarded grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the 5p bag charge.

Bags of Help offers community groups and projects in each of Tesco’s 416 regions across the UK a share of revenue generated from the 5p charge levied on single-use carrier bags. WE HAVE BEEN SUCESSFUL in our bid and the public will now vote in store from 31st October – 13th November on who should receive the £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 awards. In total, there is over £12.5 million up for grabs.

Please use your vote it would be fantastic if we could win the £12,000 which would cover all the work we would like to carry out at the Tea Hut.

www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp

~ Friday, 25 November 2016 7pm ~ Our third *Quiz - with Raffle

plus all the latest exciting news about the Park

Fun questions including great food by renown award winning Star of India

The Programme: 7.00 pm - Doors Open 7.30 - Food served 8 pm - Quiz starts!

The Quiz: There will be eight rounds of interesting questions…….Plus fun extras!

There will be a max. 8 people per table - don't worry if you're by yourself, we'll find you a friendly table!)

COSTS: Pay cash on the door, but you will need to REGISTER FREE HERE PLEASE our event URL is http://www.eventbrite.com/e/quiz-nightfriends-of-wanstead-parklands-charity-1167459-tickets-27775030865 (All tickets include entry, quiz, dinner & fun!)

Please register so we know numbers for food, tables. 3 options: £12 Standard cost for non-member that includes individual membership of 1 year to the Friends £10 Associate members (BARA, and Historical Society, Wren Group, Wanstead Historical Society, Wanstead Golf Club. £8.00 Full Members of Friends of Wanstead Park. Pay bar with very reasonable prices. *N.B. The Quizmaster's decision is final! Look forward to seeing you Thanks for your support Friends of Wanstead Park committee team.

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NEWS WALKS AND EVENTS DOG WALKING EPPING FOREST The Friends committee, are now planning events …………..including Wanstead Park taken from the Epping Forest website for the year ahead and Dog walking is one of the most popular activities in Epping Forest and are looking for volunteers provides great exercise for humans and canines alike! who would be willing to You and your four-legged friend can explore the Forest freely, but please support us. make sure that your dog is kept on the lead or under effective control at all times. The autumn walk by Richard on the 22nd Be aware that your dog can upset livestock, like our grazing , and October will end at The the wildlife living in the Forest, especially ground nesting birds like skylarks, and be conscious of other Forest users. Temple with homemade cakes and tea. Please clean up after your dog. Dog waste is not only unpleasant for humans but also damages the delicate ecological balance of the Forest. We would like to be able You can put the waste in any of the litter bins in the car parks or surround- to offer this after every ing streets or take it home with you. walk, there will be five Our byelaws apply to dog walkers as well as Dog Control Orders. up to March 2017, but

Dog Control Orders (DCOs). There are several local councils which have need a volunteer team of issued Dog Control Orders that apply to you and your dog when walking cake makers and servers in and around the Forest alongside our byelaws, including Redbridge, to do this ……..could you Newham, and Waltham Forest. help? Our Forest Keepers are special constables and empowered to enforce We would also like to be both the byelaws and the four different Dog Control Orders detailed. able arrange a variety of When walking your dog in any part of the Forest that is in these boroughs other events, mainly at you must: The Temple and would Remove dog faeces and like to hear from you.

Put your dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer, PLEASE CONTACT: Gill or which includes Forest Keepers. These rules apply to all open air spaces to a committee member which the public have access within the boroughs, including Forest land, and failure to comply is an offence that may result in a fine or prosecution. at:

Alongside these two rules, there are additional rules that apply to the Dog [email protected]

Control Orders in each of the four boroughs. Epping Forest District-You must also not walk more than four dogs at once Please note London Borough of Waltham Forest– You must also not walk more than six the date dogs at once and comply with dog exclusion areas indicated by the signs, including children's play areas and keep dogs on a lead in designat- ed areas. A Christmas Miscellany London Borough of Redbridge-You must also comply with dog exclusion at The Temple areas indicated by signs, including children's play areas and keep dogs on Wanstead Park a lead on highways, footpaths and grass verges. – You must also not walk more than four dogs Sunday 18th December at once and comply with dog exclusion areas indicated by signs, includ- 11am-2.30pm …....see ing children's play areas and keep dogs on a lead on highways, footpaths the attached flyer and grass verges.

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Tree of the Year

Earlier this year The Woodland Trust held a completion to ‘Help us crown this year’s Tree of the Year,’ supported by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Sadly when we heard about it we were already too late to enter but it set us thinking………….… and knowing how our members love a competition we though we would throw it open for discussion and ask you to tell us about your own favourite tree and why you have nomi- nated it.

We will publish your stories, along with any photographs, in the newsletter and from these entries the committee Chestnuts on Wanstead along with our tree ‘experts’ and historical information Green will form next years nomination.

For the actual competition the rules for this year were: Now is your chance to vote for your favourite tree in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from our shortlists of our Tree of the Year contest. Every vote will be entered into a prize draw.

The winning tree in each country will benefit from a “Tree LC” care grant of £1,000. Plus all runner-up trees that receive more than 1,000 votes will be eligible for a grant of £500. The grant can be used to arrange a tree health check or advice from an arboriculturalist, provide interpretation or educational materials or simply just hold a celebratory event in honour of the tree.

Each country’s winning Tree of the Year will go on to represent that nation in the European Tree of the Year competition, organised by the Environmental Partnership Association.

Clare Govier, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery said:

"We’re delighted our players are supporting the Woodland Trust and providing the opportunity for communities all over Great Britain to celebrate these fantastic trees and care for them long into the future."

See this years shortlisted trees at: http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/tree-of- the-year/england/

“Miniature world” fungi and mosses growing on an old anthill in Wanstead Park © Richard Arnopp

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Continuing Wanstead Park and its Trees

Elms in Wanstead Park

On his visit to Wanstead Park on 7 May 1748, the Swedish Botanist Pehr Kalm described a number of specific features in the large and beautiful gardens surrounding the house. He was especially taken with the extensive lakes and the many alleés, promenades or rows of planted trees which had been planted with a variety of species.

Elms were the favoured species as they retain their green leaves for all of the summer and their side branches are easily clipped to make a thick screen. The overhead branches were trained to interlace, creat- There are plenty of health ing a green tunnel through which the admiring visitors could walk walks organised by the City shielded from the sun, wind and rain. of London and Redbridge Such carefully manicured and ornate gardens were expensive to Council. maintain and as time passed they fell out of fashion. Capability In Wanstead park walks take Brown’s influence for less formal gardens meant that landowners pre- place on Thursdays. ferred the more natural landscape so the formal clipped alleés were replaced with wooded copses. Meet : at the Park Entrance at Warren Road Car Park In the early years of the 19th century Wanstead Park had several Wanstead. wooded copses but any significant timber trees were felled following Time : 11am the demolition of the house. However, younger trees survived the axe and currently these wooded areas support a mixture of tree species 20th October including Elm, some of which were descendants of those planted 24th November hedges. 22nd December In the 1960’s a fungus disease called Dutch Elm Disease spread across They usually take the form of the country killing Elms as it clogs up the water conducting tissues in the an hour long walk and will tree. The dead trees were felled and some replanting undertaken, but cover 2.5 to 3 miles. the roots of the felled trees are still alive and continue to throw up suck- ers which survive for about 15 0-20 years before succumbing to the im- All welcome just turn up! pact of the fungus and dying back. One recognisable feature of the The Sport & Health team disease is that the bark of the infected shoots develops ridges. work in partnership with Walking for Health to provide Stately Elms were once an important feature in the landscape and weekly walks in various were planted as shade trees within villages. By the end of the 18th parks across the Borough. century a number of towns and cities had public tree lined walks where The accredited scheme citizens could delight in the ‘Walking Exercise’ although in some places welcomes everyone to join the walks, regardless of there were restrictions on who could use them! At Kew they were current fitness levels. open to ‘persons of distinction’ and the walks in St James’s Park were The walks are a great way of ‘open to every person above inferior rank’. making new friends. Today, the two Sweet Chestnut Avenues by the Temple provide a All walks are free and are similar backdrop for ‘Walking Exercise’ and there are many other trees led by committed and within the park to appreciate and photograph as well. trained walk leaders who are fully qualified First Aiders. Tricia Moxley

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Find us at http://www.wansteadpark.org.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/46936535702/

Contact us at [email protected]

STOP PRESS: FRIENDS OF WANSTEAD PARKLANDS: as always your committee welcomes new members – In 2009 a group of local people reactivated the

dormant Friends of Wanstead Parklands group to W e w o u l d w e l c o m e raise public awareness of the history and volunteers willing to take on ecology of Wanstead Park and to campaign for either portfolios or individual tasks. All are welcome to its preservation and enhancement. Wanstead attend our monthly meetings Park is where Epping Forest meets . to meet us and see how we work. You will not be pressed to do anything you don’t For an area so close to residential development, wish to! there is an abundant variety of plant, animal and

other natural life, as well as more than a hundred

bird species (around fifty breeding there). The varied habitats include lakes and ponds, woodlands, open rough grassland and mown playing fields. The Park's history is also Don’t forget to put the quiz extraordinary. date in your diaries

Please register, for free, so we know numbers for food and It was the site of Colen Campbell's great tables. , built from 1715 for the Child Funds will be ear marked for family, and demolished in 1824. The grounds - of improved facilities at the temple to assist with monthly which important features remain - were one of FOWP events and to volun- the finest examples of English Landscape teering at the temple. Movement of the 18th Century (the Park is now listed Grade 2*). A previous house was occupied by Elizabeth's minister Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Recent work has demonstrated that Wanstead Park has been occupied since pre- Roman times.