Fun in the Park, 6th June 2015

By Andrew -
The annual Fun in the Park community event once again took place in the Abbey Fields, close to the town centre.  A good opportunity for us to engage with the local people and perhaps attract new members. 

However, upon arrival, a certain amount of dissatisfaction was met with the realisation that the Green Gym pitch, along with those of the majority of Abingdon's community groups, was not (as in previous years) actually to be in the park itself.  Instead it had been relegated to the adjacent car park! Fun in the Car Park?!  The main arena was instead populated mostly with commercial operators this year.

Despite the enforced shift to the margins, a gazebo had been provided by the Abingdon Chamber of Commerce and was duly erected. The Green Gym signage was then put in place and portable tables raised.  Upon the tables were placed the usual display boards showing photos of our activities along with leaflets and the new summer programme. Spots were also reserved for our perennial treasure hunt game and for marmalade and lemon curd - made by Green Gym members and sold to raise group funds.

A steady stream of people visited the stall, with many of our regular members helping out in shifts throughout the day. In addition to the general public, Abingdon's new mayor, Helen Pighills, dropped by, as did our recently re-elected MP, Nicola Blackwood.  

The event concluded at 3pm and it was time to pack up and get going, ready to clear the area for the follow-on event, Music in the Park.  The gazebo was dismantled ready for collection and other paraphernalia was carted off to the nearby Cattle Market car park, where Eleanor's husband, Arthur had been able to stop with his vehicle.  

Another successful event, but let us hope that next year we might be permitted to return to the park itself, where we are likely to be more visible to the public!
-Andrew 

photos by Eleanor:

The early shift!

Open for business!

















photos by Andrew:

Eleanor chats to Abingdon's mayor, Helen Pighills

The legendary Abingdon Green Gym marmalade!

The ever-popular treasure hunt game

Our local MP, Nicola Blackwood drops by

Will it be Fun in the Park or Fun in the Car Park next year?!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pinkhill Meadow Nature Reserve, Farmoor Reservoir, 16th March 2019

By Andrew -
Image
Another week, another new site for the Abingdon Green Gym! We met at the car park at Farmoor Reservoir, a healthy turn out of 17 of us, including French father Sebastien, and his eleven-year old son, Maelo, who was joining us for a school project. The session was led by James under the instruction of Hanna Jenkins, the warden of Pinkhill Meadow Nature Reserve, so called because it is right on the banks of the River Thames, just near Pinkhill Lock. It was another blustery day. Will this crazy wind ever let up? We followed Hanna in convoy round the edge of the reservoir, which was choppy to say the least, and parked up on the other side where it was thankfully a little calmer, the high banks of the reservoir providing some shelter. Equipped with our tools, gloves and goggles, we made our way onto the spot on the nature reserve where we were to do our work. Hanna told us that the reserve had been formed in 1991, but some aspects had been neglected over the last ten years. The aim...
Read more

Kennington Memorial Field, 29th October 2016

By Andrew -
We have been working at Kennington Memorial Field for a number of years now, clearing scrub from the slopes so that the valley remains an area of grassland and wild flowers. This time Rachel from Oxford Preservation Trust was in charge and led us down to the lower end of the field, where we were to cut back the trees and bushes by several metres and burn the scrub on a bonfire. We were joined by some families with children of varying ages, the youngest only three, who had answered a local appeal for volunteers. We set to work and soon we had a bonfire going. Even the children who were too young to use loppers and saws joined in, carrying branches to the bonfire pile. Despite the drizzly weather they all worked cheerfully. At tea break time we enjoyed some delicious snacks that Rachel had brought and a tin of chocolates supplied by Michele. We found two old birds' nests in the course of the morning and cutting back the scrub revealed a log pile with a rabbit hole under...
Read more

Jarn Mound and Wild Garden, Boars Hill, 12th November 2016

By Andrew -
Image
Four weeks after our last session with the Oxford Preservation Trust at Boars Hill, we returned, albeit at Jarn Mound this time rather than the Elizabeth Daryush Garden; which had been our venue in October. We again met with  Rachel Sanderson of the trust, who along with our leader of the day, James, outlined the tasks for the morning.  Primarily, we were to clear the mound itself of scrub and tree saplings that had taken root there, with the intention of restoring it to its original state.  There were also some flatter areas of the garden that required clearing, for the less intrepid among us. Unfortunately, the day had begun a little on the inclement side.  Indeed as we arrived, the rain fell persisently, making many of us wonder if the session would go ahead at all!  But of course, the Green Gymmers are renowned for working whatever the weather, and the damp conditions did not deter us. A couple of problems were immediately evident due to the rain...
Read more