The Friends of Bedfords Park

First Work day of 2012 - Sunday 8th January

2012-02-02T17:02:00.005Z

Well the year's off to a good start. Lovely day, dry and sunny. And what's even more important - lots of volunteers turned up. This enabled us to tackle 3 tasks on one day. 1) did a bit more clearing on the damselfly pond, this should be it until next winter, 2) cleared more of the ditch along the main bridleway towards Lower Bedfords Road, including partially clearing underneath the track where it turns towards the main pond. We would have cleared it more but Elliot refused to be dragged through the pipe to clear it. You just can't get the (unpaid) staff these days! We'll have to get some drain rods and try again. The 3rd job was to clear out some of the stream that leads into the main pond. This gets very overgrown with grass etc which isn't helped by rubbish and branches etc. And of course we collected litter, about 6 sacks of it. The dipping platform was in the process of being repaired by the Essex Wildlife Trust and was taped off, as can be seen from the photo.

Work Party 11th December 2011

2012-01-01T15:07:00.006Z

As you can see from the above photos it was a wet and muddy work day ! We continued the work done on the November work day in clearing some of the reed mace from the damselfly pond. The reed mace gradually takes over the pond if not cleared and we are restricted to the winter months as this is a site where Great Crested Newts live and breed. We will continue in January with a bit more clearance and some edging work.

Work day Sunday 11th September 2011

2011-09-17T17:33:00.010+01:00

Fortunately the weather was dry for most of the day. We split into three groups this time. One group repairing and replacing the fencing which was burnt a few weeks ago by the overnight camping 'fishermen'. The second group set about finishing off the steps that we've been working on for several months. Almost complete now, we just need to put some 'sides' on a few steps to retain the hogging. The 3rd group worked in the walled garden, digging up potatoes which, with the kind permission of Havering Council, were to be sold in the Essex Wildlife Trust visitors' centre and the money to go into their funds. For those of you interested, there is a small video clip on Youtube of some of our younger 'helpers' digging spuds, cut and paste the following link into your browser to view - www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRxvh7RKXJY

some pics from the day:

September Works Party

2011-09-01T21:35:00.003+01:00

Our next work party is due on Sunday 11th September, starting @ 10.00 in the visitors' centre. Please try to come along. Various jobs to be done including litter picking (not very strenuous) to finishing off our steps, which can be as strenuous as you want it to be ! Strong footwear recommended for the steps work and maybe wet weather gear, just in case !

'Fishermen' Damage Our Park

2011-09-01T21:26:00.002+01:00

Many apologies for not updating the blog for a few months.

We've recently had instances of so called fishermen camping by the lake. They've torn down and burnt a length of chestnut paling fence that 'The Friends' put up a few months ago to protect the wildlife along one side of the lake. Yesterday (31st August) the remains of yet another fire were found together with an old 'duvet' which had been thrown on top of it and lots of drinks cans. This time branches had been broken off to be burnt. The cans have been cleared up by a good friend of the park. The Parks Protection Service have visited the park at least twice during the last week and have apprehended several of these so called 'fishermen'. CAMPING in the park is NOT ALLOWED, as are FIRES.

I hope to have some updates and photos soon ...............

Havering Parks Protection Service

2011-03-27T10:05:00.002+01:00

We now have a really successful Parks Protection Service. Led by Steve Rawlins they are responsible for security in our parks and open spaces. If you spot anything you think is suspicious, but not really the responsibility of the Police, then please contact them on 07904 805872, or email them at parksprotection@havering.gov.uk - anything from dumping of rubbish to anti-social behaviour to motor bikes. If in doubt please contact them anyway. They are NOT there to replace the Police though - if you think it is an emergency then please call 999.

Next Work Day April 10th

2011-03-27T10:03:00.001+01:00

A date for your diaries - April 10th 2011 will be our April work day. As usual meet at the Visitors' Centre for a 10 am start. Let's hope we have another dry day.

Sunday 13th March Work Day

2011-03-27T08:45:00.008+01:00

Again we split into two groups. One litter picking, concentrating on the edge of the park along Lower Bedfords Road, which has become a popular place for people to get rid of their rubbish. Anything from garden waste to car parts ! Many of the bags they filled were so heavy that they had to be left to be collected later by the other group with wheelbarrows.

The other group concentrated on putting in more

new steps. We managed two in the morning

and three after lunch. We still have to back fill and put in the landscaping fabric and hoggin but were pleased with the results so far. Here are some photos of the work in progress. Not sure whether they are blurred because the volunteers were moving so fast or just camera shake !

Work Day Sunday 13th February - Update

2011-02-19T09:58:00.006Z

Today a group of us set about finishing off the steps we started in January. We had to fit 'sides' where applicable to stop the 'infill' from migrating. Then after some preparation a membrane was placed within the step area and hoggin rammed in place.

Here we are assessing the situation and

deciding exactly how to go about it.

On the right: Going about it !

Here are our first 3 completed steps. Only

about another 30 to go. These took longer to complete than expected as it was out first time. Next time things should be quicker.

Another group assisted the regular EWT volunteer to clear and tidy up the car park area.

Work Day Sunday 9th January 2011

2011-01-13T17:42:00.007Z

This Sunday we split into two groups, one doing litter picking, and the other concentrating on our 'steps' project. The litter pickers did a good job, collecting 6 bags of litter. The 'steps' gang managed to install 4 steps and cleared various 'trip hazards' and a fallen tree from the path. Quite a large area of overgrown brambles were also cleared alongside one of the ponds as the path was becoming very narrow. Here are a few photos some of the steps.

Also just in case you weren't aware - Several new ponds were dug last year within the park. Without any intervention from anyone, just good old Nature, they've started to fill up. Here are a couple of photos just to prove how wet it's been!

Meeting in the Town Hall Thursday 13th Jan 2011

2011-01-11T11:30:00.001Z

Our first Town Hall meeting of 2011 is on Thursday 13th January, starting at 7.30 pm and is due to finish by 9.30. Everyone is welcome.

First Work Day of 2011

2011-01-04T13:00:00.001Z

Our first work day of 2011 is on Sunday 9th January. We look forward to your support ! Meet at the Visitors' Centre in Bedfords Park for a 10 am start.

Work Day Sunday 12th December 2010

2011-01-04T12:39:00.005Z

As this work day coincided with the EWT Christmas event in the visitors' centre our numbers were reduced slightly as some were 'manning' tables at this event, selling bric a brac and cakes. The rest of us set about clearing a fallen laurel on the bridleway, then on to prune the hawthorn by the dipping platform. After this we spent a couple of hours cutting and moving a couple of fallen trees

from our 'new' footpath. These trees had been dead for years but the weight of the recent snow had caused them to become dangerous as they were right over the footpath where we intend putting in new steps in the near future. Here are a couple of photos taken after our 'clearance'. Prior to this the path would have been potentially dangerous and difficult to walk.

Christmas Event

2010-12-09T13:45:00.003Z

There will be a Christmas Event at the Visitors' Centre on Sunday 12th December 2010. There will be childrens events, craft activities, craft stalls, mulled drinks, mince pies, cup cakes and much more. This is a FREE event. From 10.00 'til 16.00. Please come along and support the centre.

Birds spotted recently in the park

2010-11-30T18:30:00.003Z

The following info is from one of our volunteers who is also a keen 'birder' -

I have been giving the park good coverage over the past week (22nd, 23rd, 27th and 28th November). I found a Firecrest in Nursery Wood on 22nd but only obtained poor views on this and next day. Fortunately the bird showed better over the weekend, accompanied by a second bird as well (in the area between EWT car park & bridleway/Nursery). Also many more Goldcrests in the park compared to last year - about 10 in the above area and probably 20 over the whole park (peak count of 5 in the park last winter).
Other recent records of interest include (all November):

Mandarin - A drake standing on the ice with 3 Mallard at dusk on 28th (lake completely iced over).
Little Egret - Lake, 18th and 20th.
Woodcock - 2 over Wildflower Meadow on 23rd.
Little Owl - Wildflower Meadow, 28th.
Meadow Pipit - 14 near Lake on 23rd.
Redwing - 15+ EWT car park on 28th.
Corvid roost estimate on 28th - approx 300 Jackdaw, 150 Rook, 150 Carrion Crow (Deer Park).
Brambling - A female with c35 Chaffinches in Wildflower Meadow, 22nd (but no sign of flock since).
Siskin - 30 feeding in alder near bridleway, 20th.
Lesser Redpoll - Up to 15 at least - usually feeding in birches (since mid-Nov).
Bullfinch - 2 males Damselfly Pond, 28th.
Yellowhammer - singles on 20th and 23rd.

Birds in the park on 14th November

2010-11-15T21:27:00.000Z

Despite the rain saw a few birds: Woodcock seen briefly in Valley Marsh, 6+ Goldcrest car park area but no firecrest heard, 15+ Redpolls in flight (c150 at Thorndon CP today), 250+ Jackdaws in pre-roost gathering at N.end of Deer Park, plus a pair of Mute Swans back on Lake, arrived sat 13th .

Work day Sunday 14th November 2010

2010-11-14T20:55:00.003Z

Weather not too bad first thing but started raining during the morning. Today we began by doing a litter pick whilst walking round checking out the new ponds recently dug using money from 'The Million Ponds Project'. Great to see them and can't wait for them to fill up and for the wildlife to make use of them. Later in the morning the rain got a lot more persistent and we decided to make our way back to the visitors' centre for lunch and discuss plans for the afternoon. In the end the rain wouldn't give up so we were unable to do any more outside but this did hive us a chance to tidy up our tools.

AGM

2010-09-25T19:54:00.004+01:00

Our AGM is on Thursday 21st October @ 19.30 hrs in Romford Town Hall. We will be electing committee members. All are welcome. If any members of the public wish to attend please can you let us know so that we can ensure sufficient seating will be available. Email - fobp@hotmail.co.uk .

October work day

2010-09-25T19:51:00.002+01:00

Our next work day is due to take place on Sunday 10th October 2010. We hope to see you there. Meet @ 10.00 hrs in the visitors' centre. Suitable clothing, especially now autumn is upon us. It can get wet and muddy !

Work day 12th September update

2010-09-25T19:38:00.003+01:00

This Sunday we split into two groups. One lead by Lois with three new members to the Friends of Bedfords Park. They were taken on a tour of the park as they didn't know it very well, complete with litter pickers and black bags.

The second group began by clearing the leaves/branches etc that has accumulated in the ditch by the bridal way towards Lower Bedfords Park. Apparently this blockage had caused the ditch to overflow in the heavy rain. We then moved on to the dipping platform by the damselfly pond. The large hawthorn that had previously fallen over and had been pruned by us, needed pruning again as some of the branches were getting low and making access difficult. The pruned branches were used to repair a nearby 'dead hedge'. Our next task was to check out and clear the path to the west that we created a few years ago. We were pleased to see several groups of people, with dogs, using the path. To make things easier we will soon be creating some steps in places where the slopes get slippery in the wet weather. These steps will be built using grant money we have already obtained. After lunch the 'litter pickers' carried on collecting litter (they collected a total of 11 bags of litter/rubbish), while the others set about sapling removal in the meadow.

Butterfly list for Bedfords Park

2010-08-05T18:54:00.002+01:00

Below are details of butterflies spotted in Bedfords Park - a really good number. All have been spotted by one of our members. Another reason for looking after our parks !

A female Silver-washed Fritillary was seen nectaring on Buddleia flowers near the Visitor Centre on 3rd August; a welcome addition to the list of butterflies recorded in the park. (A total of 26 species since 2003 - the EWT years).
Bedfords Park LNR butterfly list 2003 - 2010:
Small Skipper
Essex Skipper
Large Skipper
Brimstone
Clouded Yellow
Small White
Large White
Green-veined White
Orange Tip
Purple Hairstreak
White-letter Hairstreak
Small Copper
Brown Argus
Common Blue
Holly Blue
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
Peacock
Comma
Small Tortoiseshell
Silver-washed Fritillary
Speckled Wood
Gatekeeper
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Small Heath
(No records of Wall Brown since the 1990's)

July Bi Monthly meeting in The Town Hall

2010-07-12T21:24:00.001+01:00

Next meeting is on Thursday 15th July in the Town Hall at 7.30 pm as usual. All welcome.

Sunday 11th July work party update

2010-07-12T12:21:00.002+01:00

It was too hot to work but we forced ourselves ! Cut back a couple of overhanging branches from the fallen hawthorn by the dipping platform. Then cleared back overgrown nettles etc from footpath from damselfly pond to lower meadow area. One of our team volunteered to remove some more oak saplings from the meadow while the rest of us continued clearing paths around the ponds in the south of the park near Lower Bedfords Road. After lunch we 'attacked' the path from the other end by the 'cow pond' until the whole patch had been cleared. We did our usual litter pick at the same time and have to say that the litter situation wasn't as bad as it has been in the past. This is partly due to the efforts of volunteers/dog walkers who do litter picks during the week. The bins by the visitors' centre were overflowing however. This may have been due to wildlife getting into the bins and pulling rubbish out. It was noticed that there were LBH staff also litter picking.

July work day

2010-06-20T21:56:00.000+01:00

Our next work day is on Sunday July 11th. Meet at 10 am in the visitors' centre.

Report on work day Sunday 13th June 2010

2010-06-20T21:41:00.002+01:00

Firstly the group cleared some of a large fallen horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) branch on the path in lower 'nursery wood'. Then cleared some overhanging brambles.

In the afternoon some more of the ditch alongside the bridal path was cleared down towards Lower Bedfords Road.

Birthday Party on Sunday 6th June

2010-05-29T16:06:00.003+01:00

Sunday 6th June is the 7th anniversary of the opening of the Visitors' Centre @ Bedfords Park. Please come along and join in the celebrations. There will be live music, craft stalls, childrens' activities, and much more. This is a free event but donations are welcome. Let's hope for some more of that sunny weather we had recently. We did, didn't we, or was I dreaming ?

June work day

2010-05-29T16:05:00.001+01:00

Our next work day is on Sunday June 13th @ Bedfords Park Visitors' Centre. 10 am start as usual.

Hope to see you there.

Work Party Sunday 9th May 2010 - report

2010-05-11T17:46:00.010+01:00

The dipping platform before ....................

And after

We had our first task determined for us by nature as a large hawthorn tree had 'fallen over' a week before onto part of the dipping platform. Fortunately no pond dipping was planned. we removed as little as we needed to enable access to the platform once again. The tree was still alive so it should carry on growing even though it is on it's side .The 'prunings' were used to reinforce the 'dead hedge' by the bridleway.

Our second task was to clear the ditch along the bridleway. It had become clogged up with dead leaves, branches and rocks/bricks. This was the sort of work we like - getting wet and muddy, and in this case, smelly as well. In addition one of our team carried on with our last month's task of removing saplings from the meadow.

Men at work ....................

and, men at play - if their kids did this they'd get a telling off !

Bi Monthly meeting in The Town Hall

2010-04-28T20:00:00.003+01:00

Our next meeting is on Thursday 13th May 2010 @ 7.30 pm and finishing @ 9.30 pm. All are wellcome but to ensure seating available please advise us of your intention to come. Phone 01708 704619 or email fobp@hotmail.co.uk .

Sunday 11th April work day

2010-04-28T19:52:00.005+01:00

Apologies for this 'report' being late.

This Sunday we cut down, pulled up or dug up oak saplings in the meadow. This may seem to be a bit destructive but if they aren't removed then the grass cannot be cut, and eventually the meadow will return to woodland. In the afternoon we did a litter pick around the main pond area. The litter situation appears to have improved but this is only due to a small number of dedicated people who take time, their own time, to pick up litter whilst walking in the park. So a very big THANKS to those concerned - I won't embarrass them by mentioning names but they and other regular park users/dog walkers know who they are! Just one additional thing to report - towards the end of our day we spotted a RED KITE over the meadow area. It was quite low and could easily be recognised with the naked eye. It flew over towards the east then turned northwards over Nursery Wood.

Our next work day is on Sunday 9th May 2010.

Successful Easter Event

2010-04-07T09:04:00.003+01:00

We are very pleased to announce that we made a total of £72.16 on Sunday 4th April at the visitors' centre. We had two tables selling home made cakes and bric-a-brac. Many thanks to all those involved in 'manning' the tables but special thanks go to Carol and Francesca for baking all those wonderfully tasty cakes. Thanks also to Fay at Essex Wildlife Trust for allowing us to have the tables for the day. Fay's cakes were also very nice !

Official 'Friends' Status attained

2010-04-07T08:58:00.005+01:00

We were extremely pleased to be told at this year's Parks Forum, that we had successfully achieved official 'Friends' status. Many thanks to our chairman, Nick, for all his hard work in getting the paperwork, and 'us' organised in time to achieve this.

Bird news in Bedfords Park

2010-04-01T14:08:00.001+01:00

March migrant news:-

First spring migrants noted in the park - Chiffchaff on 19th March, two Swallows and Willow Warbler on 30th, male Blackcap on 31st.

The wintering Firecrests(3) which were first seen in November 2009, made it through the coldest winter for 30 years and were last seen together on 10th March,with one(the female) remaining to 19th. The two at nearby Havering-atte-Bower were last seen on 14th March.

April Work Day - Sunday 11th April 2010

2010-03-25T14:36:00.002Z

Our next work day is on Sunday 11th April 2010. Meeting as usual in the visitors' centre for a 10 am start. Wet weather gear and wellies might be a good idea !

See you then

Easter Event @ Bedfords Park

2010-03-25T14:32:00.003Z

We will have two tables at the Essex Wildlife Trust's Easter Event on Sunday 4th April in the Visitors' Centre from 11am, where we will be selling cakes and advertising the park and our Friends group. Please come along if you can to support us, and 'man' the tables to give others a chance to go to the loo !

Next meeting at The Town Hall

2010-03-08T10:56:00.003Z

Our next bi monthly meeting is on Thursday 18th March 2010, at 7.30 pm, at Romford Town Hall. Everyone is welcome but if you are not a member of the Friends can you please let us know you wish to attend so that we can ensure adequate seating. Contact us on tel. 01708 704619 or email fobp@hotmail.co.uk .

Work Day Sunday 7th March 2010

2010-03-08T10:27:00.006Z

Yet another glorious sunny day. Just right to get wet and muddy ! Today we 'reinstated' drainage channel/s from the lower pond in Nursery Wood into Valley Marsh. We also cleared part of the existing 'ditch' to enable the water to drain quicker into the marsh. Hopefully this will stop some of the waterlogging at the north end of the marsh which is one of the two main ways in/out of the Wildflower Meadow.

Water flowing from the pond in new channel

Clearing the existing ditch

The wet area we hope will be drained

One man and his bog !

Local Students Help in the Park - Friday 19th February 2010

2010-02-27T17:49:00.005Z

We were very fortunate to have some help from students of Havering Sixth Form College in clearing litter and debris left behind by people who had been taking advantage of the snowy conditions recently. As well as the usual bits of plastic 'for sale' signs there were the remains of various plastic box lids, some of which were quite hard and almost like pieces of glass. The pictures show some of the 'rubbish' collected during the morning. This 'event' was organised by Benjamin Sanderson, Countryside Projects Officer Environmental Strategy from Havering Council. Many thanks Benjamin and the students for their help.

March Work Day

2010-02-26T13:10:00.001Z

Our next work day is on March 7th, which is the FIRST Sunday so that we do not clash with MOTHERS' DAY on 14th. As usual meet at the visitors' centre for a 10am start.

Work Day Update for Sunday 14th February 2010

2010-02-25T17:55:00.005Z

Buried drainage pipes in channel, some broken

Large pieces of stonework, also buried in channel

Stan gets all excited over his new set of wheels !

And finally, water flows into the pond - success!

Well, we really excelled ourselves this time. We got the muddiest ever! We cleared the channel down from Queen Anne's Well to the pond in Nursery Wood. Great fun and lots of getting stuck in the mud. The ground downhill from the well was really waterlogged and this channel should help with the drainage. We found a few old bits of pottery land drain and a pair of very large wheels, with tyres, which looked like part of a farm trailer.

We've checked since, and with all the rain, the channel is doing its job.

Bird life in the Park!

2010-02-02T17:18:00.002Z

The following birds have been spotted recently in the park:

Firecrest M & F

Redwings - 170+

Sparrowhawk (frightened the redwings)

Magpies - 42

Song Thrush - 3

Mistle Thrush

Chaffinches

Great Tits

Long Tailed Tits

Coal Tit

Nuthatch - 2

Wren - several

Dunnock

Collared Dove

Stock Dove

this is just an example of the bird life in Bedfords Park

Some good news : )

2010-01-23T17:19:00.006Z

The swan is back. The swan, which was scared away when we had the very cold weather by people throwing snowballs at it, is back again. It is thought that it went to Raphael Park, or possibly to a private trout fishery Doddinghurst way. We had a report from the owner of the fishery that a lone swan appeared about the time the one in Bedfords left. The fishery owner treported that it left again around the time it arrived back at Bedfords. When we get confirmation on this the blog will be updated. Watch this space ! Many thanks to the fishery owner for feeding it during the cold spell.

February 2010 work day

2010-01-21T10:15:00.001Z

Our next work day is on Sunday 14th Feb (Valentines Day). Look forward to seeing you there. Let's hope the weather is ok this time.

Morons in the park !

2010-01-09T15:07:00.003Z

Not only has someone damaged a bird table and thrown snowballs at the cameras outside the visitors' centre but some idiot/s have broken some of the memorial trees by the pond and thrown them on the ice ! Why ?

January 10th Work Day

2010-01-08T19:29:00.002Z

Due to the weather forecast, and the condition of the park at present it is doubtful if we will hold our usual work day on the 10th. Some of us may meet up at the visitors' centre for a bit of a chat, and possibly a walk around the park. All this is weather dependant.

Sunday 13th December work day update

2010-01-08T18:27:00.006Z

Frog from from stream leading into the 'cow pond'.

It was all too much for some !!

Whilst others just carried on.

And some just messed around trying to frighten the children!

Apologies for the lateness of this information. I blame Christmas ! Again a very productive day in, and around, the damselfly pond. More reed mace was removed. Some of the reeds were transplanted into the 'cow pond' to provide more habitat for wildlife. A litter pick was also carried out around the cow pond and several bags of rubbish were removed. This time some of our party ventured into the bushes to remove rubbish left by so called fishermen. We also dug out the 'stream' leading into the cow pond where we found several frogs and one toad. All were safely relocated.

December Work Day

2009-11-11T19:50:00.002Z

As usual on the second Sunday, which will be December 13th. Wellies and waders will be required for all those prepared to help out with the Damselfly Pond again.

November meeting at The Town Hall

2009-11-11T19:49:00.003Z

Our next bi-monthly meeting is on thursday 19th November in Romford Town Hall. All are welcome. Time - 7.30 'til 9.30

November Work Day Update

2009-11-11T19:24:00.003Z

At the beginning ..............

During .....................

At the end ................

A very muddy and wet day for the 'Friends' on Sunday 8th November. Not because the weather was wet but because we spent the day pulling out unwanted reeds from the Damselfly Pond. The pond was getting very choked up since we last cleared it almost 2 years ago. As this pond contains Great Crested Newts, which are a protected species, we obtained permission from Havering Council before carrying out this task. Although we achieved a lot we will still have to have another go as we only had 2 pairs of waders so most of us worked either from the bank or in shallow water only.

Mellow Mists and Autumn Fruitfullness - Sunday 18th October

2009-10-27T09:19:00.003Z

Essex Wildlife Trust held an Wild Autumn Event on Sunday 18th October with various 'stalls', bottles of apple juice, apples, pears, and pumpkins on sale.

Carol and Lois 'manned' a couple of tables, one with 'bric a brac' and home made cakes (courtesy of Carol) and the other with an Autumnal theme, including various 'fruits' from the park as part of a quiz.

In total over £55 was raised for the 'Friends'.

Many thanks to Carol and Lois for organising, baking, and manning the tables.

October Work Day - Update

2009-10-27T08:35:00.005Z

Sunday 11th - in the morning we split into two groups - one did a litter pick between the visitors' centre and the 'cow pond'. The second group removed some common reed (phragmites australis) from a local pond and planted them in the south eastern corner of the 'cow pond'. These reeds will grow and spread and provide an additional wildlife habitat, in partcular for nesting warblers. These reeds were moved after consultation with a local botanist and LBH.

On the way to collect the reeds, 3 sacks of rubbish was collected from a 'camp site' on foxes hill. This rubbish was mainly made up of beer cans, wine bottles, AA batteries and exploded aerosol cans! Bonfires had also been lit.

We all met up at the cow pond and continued litter picking on our way back to the visitors' centre.

After a late lunch went on a walk around the wildflower meadow and valley marsh. These areas were pretty much litter free.

AGM

2009-10-06T12:24:00.002+01:00

Our AGM is in the town hall on Thursday 22nd October @ 7.30 pm. As this is our AGM please try to attend, thanks.

October Work Day

2009-10-06T12:23:00.001+01:00

Yes it's that time again - sunday 11th October is the date of our October work day. Look forward to seeing you there. Let's hope the rain stops by then !

Meeting at the Town Hall

2009-09-21T09:37:00.003+01:00

Our next committee meeting is on thursday 24th September at 7.30 pm in the Town Hall. All are welcome.

Parrots in the park ?

2009-09-21T09:03:00.002+01:00

After we'd finished for the day we spotted a total of 6 'ring necked parakeets' feeding on beech mast in one of the beech trees next to the deer compound. They were feeding for about half an hour before they all flew off together southwards. Unfortunately they were too high up to get a decent clear photo of.

Sunday 20th September work party update

2009-09-21T08:51:00.004+01:00

In the morning we made our way down from the visitors' centre to the 'cow pond', litter picking all the way. The usual crisp packets, drinks cans and bottles. Strangely we didn't find them very heavy so cannot understand what's so difficult about people taking them home with them, or at least putting them in a litter bin ! We then litter picked around the pond which wasn't too bad this time. The 'anglers' are still leaving rubbish and fishing line, which as well as being unsightly can also pose a risk to wildlife. All together we collected about 4 bags full, plus a large plastic groundsheet.

We spent the afternoon cutting the oak saplings, to the south of the visitors' centre, to ground level

as these are not wanted there and it will make it easier for the council parks team to cut the grass.

Next work Day - possible change

2009-09-05T16:50:00.003+01:00

Lois and Bill will NOT be able to make it on Sunday 13th September due to other committments. We will however be available for the following Sunday - 20th September. You can carry on without us on 13th or join us on 20th, or both ! If anyone wants to do the 13th we will ensure that keys are at the visitors' centre. Please let us know (suggest you ring on 01708 704619 or email on billamos@ntlworld.com as Lois is having problems with her email at present).

Thanks

Bill

Next Work Day - September 13th

2009-08-10T17:38:00.001+01:00

August 9th work Day - Update

2009-08-10T17:15:00.004+01:00

Yet another fine sunny day. This sunday we finished clearing the path that we opened up a couple of years ago that comes out between the lake (or cow pond as it is also known) and Lower Bedfords Road. We also did a litter pick around the cow pond. There wasn't too much litter this time - just one bag full. One of our group also retrieved a 'lifebuoy' from the lake and put it back in it's holder. I wonder how long it will be there for ?

After lunch we did a bit of tidying up along the footpath in Larch Wood between marker posts 4 and 6. As well as some cutting back we replaced some of the logs marking out the path as some had become overgrown and some had been moved from their orginal position. This footpath is clearly marked on the new 'Trail Guide' which is on sale in the Visitors' Centre for 75 pence.

Whilst working in Larch Wood we heard the usual motorbikes roaring around to the south of us. We didn't see them though.

Apart from the bikes in the afternoon, it was a very nice day in the park and we were extremely pleased to see some large groups of families having picnics.

Some future dates for your diary

2009-07-27T16:47:00.003+01:00

Thursday 24th September 2009 - our next bi monthly meeting in the Town Hall @ 7.30 pm.

Thursday 22nd October 2009 - our AGM, also @ 7.30 pm.

August Work Day

2009-07-15T22:00:00.002+01:00

Our next work day is on August 9th. Meet as usual at the visitors' centre for a 10 am start.

Bi monthly meeting at the Town Hall

2009-07-15T21:59:00.001+01:00

Our next meeting is on Thursday 16th July at 7.30 pm. All are wellcome.

Work Day Sunday 13th July 2009

2009-07-15T21:51:00.002+01:00

Yet another sunny day. In the morning we 'pruned' some Giant Knot Weed by the walled garden so that it can be treated with herbicide by the council when it starts to regrow. The arisings were bagged up for safe disposal by the council.
In the afternoon we cleared some of the paths around a couple of the ponds to the south of the park near Lower Bedfords Road. These paths were initially cleared by us about three of years ago. Although they are used by some dog walkers there is not enough 'traffic' to keep them completely clear. One of the ponds was completely covered in duckweed whilst the other was clear of it. On the latter there was a female Mallard and 8 ducklings, two of which had a definate yellow colour about them. The other 6 were all 'normal'.
We also collected various items of 'litter' while we were walking around.

Wildflower Walk - Sunday June 28th - update

2009-07-05T10:02:00.004+01:00

A successful walk led by the very experienced Mary Smith. Although we didn't walk a great distance we were shown many wild flowers in great detail thanks to the 10x magnification lenses that Mary had thoughtfully brought along for us to borrow. It's amazing what you can see at this magnification. Who would have thought that the common clover 'flower' is actually made up of many smaller flowers that all look like miniature sweet peas ? And they have a very nice smell. We also saw different types of thistle, 'Ladies Bed Straw, plus many more.

Work Day Sunday 14th June 2009 - update

2009-06-15T14:43:00.005+01:00

Yet another sunny day. Lots of people in the park, playing and picnicking. A couple of blokes on quad bikes decided it would be fun to ride around for a few hours in the park making as much noise as possible. I suppose they thought it would impress someone !

Back to the work day - first off we cleared a load of litter from around, and in, the 'cow pond'. In all around 8 bin bags full. There was quite a lot of rubbish left by what you could loosely describe as 'fishermen' including some fishing line, some old floats and old bread bags etc. Also a tyre and a watering can (?) The pond was nice and clear and there was plenty of wild life including quite a lot of young fish.

After lunch we made our way from the visitors' centre across the park towards the damselfly ponds, and collected up quite a bit of litter left by picnickers who just seem to think it's ok to eat their food and go home without all the packaging they brought with them. Some also seem incapable of working out that if a litter bin is full there's not much point just leaving your litter next to it. Why on earth can't people work out they they CAN take it home with them - it is allowed. We then proceeded via the meadow, which is coming on really well now - lots of grasses and flowers, up to the car park areas where there was also quite a lot of litter despite the bins being nowhere near full.

All together we collected about 12 bags of rubbish.

Guided Wildflower Walk - June 28th 2009

2009-06-06T12:44:00.002+01:00

Just to let you know that there will be a Guided Wildflower Walk in the park on June 28th, between 2 and 4pm, led by local botanist Mary Smith. To ensure a place on the walk please book places with EWT @ Bedfords Park.

Meeting at Romford Town Hall thursday 21st May 2009

2009-05-17T11:14:00.005+01:00

Please note that our next committee meeting is at 7pm on thursday 21st May in the Town Hall and is due to finish by 9.30pm. Not sure what room we will be in but it will be advertised in reception. All are welcome - not just members of the Friends' group. Look forward to seeing you there. Please note that refreshments are NOT usually available so bring a bottle !

June 2009 work day

2009-05-17T11:13:00.001+01:00

Our next work day is on Sunday June 14th. Meet at the visitors' centre for a 10am start.

May work day - update

2009-05-17T10:24:00.007+01:00

Sunday 10th May 2009. Yet again we were lucky with the weather. In the morning we worked with EWT to reorganise their composting bins at the rear of the visitors' centre.

In the afternoon we moved on the Queen Ann's Well and did some tidying up and cleared a load of rubbish and sediment that had accumulated/been dumped over the years. What a lovely wet and smelly job that was ! We also cleared some of the ivy from the outside walls of the walled garden and some Buddleia that was growing near the gates. Both of these plants could seriously damage the walls if left unchecked.

May Work Day

2009-04-26T09:58:00.003+01:00

Our next work day is on Sunday May 10th - we hope to see you then. Meet as usual in the visitors' centre for 10am(ish) start.

April work day

2009-04-26T09:43:00.004+01:00

Firstly apologies for the delay in adding this info to our blog.

We were very lucky with the weather this Easter Sunday. Although only a few 'friends' were able to turn up we had a very productive day litter picking. This was done in conjunction with a very informative 'wild flower walk' led by Benjamin Sanderson from Havering Council. Some of us actually visited parts of the park we hadn't seen before !

As well as this walk some of us walked around the ponds and also the meadow which had recently been cut by Havering Council. It will be interesting to see what appears now the long grass etc has been removed.

We were also pleased to see that Havering Council had improved the dipping platform by the damselfly pond. Access is now much easier and it is a lot bigger. This will make it much more accessible for the Essex Wildlife pond dipping 'expeditions'.

There was one thing that spoiled an otherwise perfect day in the park - and that was the smell of diesel fuel which occaisionally wafted up our nostrils. Apparently there had been a diesel spill in or around the Council Depot near to the visitor centre. This was caused by someone attempting to steal fuel and in the process spilling some. There are now signs up in the park warning people to keep pets etc out of the water/ditches. Unfortunately there were no signs on the day we were there and I understand that several people had complained about the smell and one little boy who fell in one of the ditches had an irritable rash for a while. His parents were unaware of the spillage and thought they had a fuel leak in their car on the way home. When they got home they realised it wasn't the car, it was their son! He's all ok now.

April work day

2009-04-07T18:00:00.001+01:00

Sunday 12th April is our next work day. This is Easter Sunday. Also on this day there will be wildflower walks from the visitors' centre and various other activities organised by The Essex Wildlife Trust.

Spring at Last

2009-03-26T19:39:00.004Z

Apologies for the pictures being all over the place - still practicing ! I'm sure there must be a way of labelling them but I haven't found it yet. All the above were taken in Bedfords Park between 16th and 18th March 2009.

Work Day - Sunday 8th March 2009

2009-03-08T18:40:00.012Z

This work day we started by cutting back the hawthorn by the dipping platform to enable work to be carried out on its repair and extension to it. We then attempted to clear the ditch towards Lower Bedfords Road so that the water could drain away faster but the drain under the track is blocked. If the council haven't cleared it we may have a go at clearing it next time.

We also marked out, with arrows fixed to the trees and logs, the path that we have created over the last year or so. It is off the track (to the left) between the damselfly pond and the main (cow pond) lake. This path passes two other ponds which cannot be seen from the main track and it meanders through the woodland and comes out to the south of the cow pond.

We then cleared an old overgrown path to the north east of the cow pond.

After lunch we did a 'litter pick' at the bottom of the hill by Spring Wood. This area was in a disgusting state after the snow in early February. As well as the usual plastic bottles and bags there were loads of plastic 'for sale' type signs and various other plastic objects used as toboggans. There were also two car bonnets that had been used for a similar purpose. We were quite amazed that all of this 'rubbish' had been there for over a month ! We got soaked doing this as the heavens opened and the wind got extremely blustery.

Our next meeting is on sunday 12th April which is also Easter Sunday. There will be various events taking place on that day including wild flower walks. Please try to come.

Below are a few pics from the day ............. as you can see, nice and sunny to start with !

MARCH 2009 WORK DAY

2009-03-03T15:07:00.002Z

We will be meeting up in the visitors' centre for 10 am(ish) start on Sunday 8th March. Hopefully the ground will be a bit drier this time.

Hope to see you there.

2009-02-16T10:32:00.003Z

Colin and Bill met on sunday 15th February to try and clear out an old ditch next to the damselfly pond so that it would drain. This was to lower the water below the level of the dipping platform, and hopefully stop it from flooding in future. This would mean that the dipping platform could be used even after heavy rain. Time will tell.

2009-01-14T19:26:00.003Z

Welcome the The Friends of Bedfords Park Blog.

Our Next Workday

2009-01-14T16:44:00.006Z

We are planning a work day for sunday 15th February. We need to clear a ditch by the Damselfly Pond and the EWT car park could do with a bit of a tidy up. Anyone interested - 10 am in the visitors' centre sunday 15th Feb. Hope to see you then.

The next work day is SUNDAY 8th MARCH 2009.

STOP PRESS! A wild flower walk will be held on EASTER SUNDAY to discover the wonderful world of wild flowers beneath our feet! More details to follow.

January 2009 Work Party

2009-01-10T12:13:00.002Z

The Friends group met on Sunday 11th January. We cleared the two paths between the main car park and the 'round pond'.
Some of us also met with a representative of the Havering Parks Department on Monday 12th January pm and had an interesting walk around the park. This will enable us to draw up a list of work/projects to be carried out within the park. Some of these will require materials such as wood/woodchip/gravel. The woodchip should be available from within the park. The council will probably be able to provide the gravel. Getting suitable wood for the repair of the dipping platform, and for making steps on the newly made path down to the 'hidden ponds' at the southern end of the park seems unlikely ! Any ideas where we can get suitable wood for these jobs ? Bear in mind that we don't want to pay for it!