Santa’s arrived on the Advent Tree – we’re there.
It’s Christmas !!
Category Archives: Friends
We’ve Been Chosen for the Guiseley Co-op Community Fund for our Willow Walk Project.
The bottom of the Park is wet with several spring emanating from the hillside. In this area is a good bank of willow trees some of the quite characterful, as well as traditional woodland edge shrubs such as rowans, blackthorns and hazel. In an amongst the trees are the foundations of the old Crompton Parkinson Tennis Pavilion, built in the 1940’s . At the north end is the bog garden, at the south end, the entrance to Edison Fields, and in the middle a wide ditch, made when earth was piled onto the old car park.
We’ve long had plans to regenerate this area of the Park by creating a Willow Adventure Walk here for children and young people, with an entertainment space for for story telling where the old pavilion was, and natural play willow and wood features along the walk.
Continue readingPARKINSON’S PARK WORKING PARTIES RESTART
Friends of Parkinson’s Park 
Over the last two years less organized improvement work has been done on the Park as we were unable to set up the area working parties we’d planned in 2019. Instead a number of people have taken on different areas and maintained them on an individual basis. From the entrances to the orchard to walls, and litter picking we’d like to thank everyone who has contributed their time and effort.
Now, however, is the time to get more organized again and work on improvements in working parties. Each party will be responsible for improving a set area of the Park.
The first area to be tackled is the Nethercliffe Entrance. There will be a meeting tomorrow, Monday 1st November, 7pm in the Ings with Chris Parapia and Martyn Hornsby Smith for anyone interested in joining in this working party. Work will start on 21st November to spruce up the entrance for Christmas, time to be confirmed.
Later there will be a working party organized for
- Hillside Entrance/Jubilee Walk
- The Greenshaw Entrance, Wood and Wildflower Meadow
- The two copses and Woodland
If you are interested in improving the Nethercliffe Entrance come along on either date above. And if you are interested in joining one of the other working parties, please send you name and contact details to Martyn Hornsby Smith at parkisonspark@gmail.com
STUDENT LILY ENDS HER PLACEMENT AT GREENSHAW GATE
Our thanks go to student Lily Davies who has spent the Winter and Spring doing her Craven College, Land and Wildlife Management, work placement in the Park supervised by Chris Parapia and Joanna Brooks. Lily has helped plant the Greenshaw Wood, the herb planter, winter pruning in the orchard, the Parkisons Python, and the Easter Trail. We’ve all been impressed with her hard work, and enthusiasm.
For her main project we asked her to improve the Greenshaw Gate entrance with a suitable planting scheme and are pleased she was just able to complete that before the end of her time with us. (Labour and advice were provided by Martyn Hornsby-Smith and Jennifer Kirkby.)
The gate is on the edge of woodland, and is in shade for a lot of time, so it was ideal for a woodland planting scheme of ferns, foxgloves, bulbs and woodland edge shrubs. Our aim is to improve all entrances into the Park over time, and there are different groups of people who look after each entrance. If you would like to take on Lily’s work and look after the Greenshaw Gate email us at parkinsonspark@gmail.com.
Our thanks also to Bettys Harrogate who provided the woodland plants for this and other entrance gates through their Trees For Life Fund. Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate donated over £3,300 to disability charity Open Country, to pay for nine days of their time on conservation work at parks and nature reserves across Lower Wharfedale as well as the purchase of plants and saplings to create new habitats for nature. An article from the Wharfedale explains more:-
YARN BOMBING IN THE PARK 2021
Over the last year the Park has increasingly used the lovely knitted, crochet and even tatted items, made by local people for decorating the Celebration Tree, (mostly ladies, but there might be some men 🙂 ). Well, we now know this art form has a name, Yarn Bombing; and it seems that it is becoming international, with yarn bombing festivals, including one in Hawes. (Apparently the 2015 Tour de Yorkshire kicked off the idea.)
The definition of Yarn Bombing is – Yarn bombing is a street art, a form of graffiti using textiles instead of paint. Yarn bombers might add tags, put up murals, leave messages or cover parts of or whole inanimate objects. The artwork stays up for up to 6-8 weeks.
It is now getting so popular that Yarn Bombing groups are forming so that they can go out and brighten up their local public spaces. The Parkinson’s Park ladies are keen on doing the same – now they’ve got going with Remembrance, Valentines and Easter.
They’ve put together a timetable of themes for the year – to go on the Celebration Tree, or Farm Gate. They’d welcome anyone to join in as well – especially as this is a ‘guerilla’ art form. Patterns for ideas for each theme will be put on the Parkinson’s Park facebook page
Yarn Bombing Plan For 2021
June/July - Bees, Butterflies and Flowers. Start June 6th.
September - Space eg stars and planets. Start Sept 4th ready for the Children's Gala
November - Remembrance week collection for Royal British Legion. Start 7th November
Advent - Christmas decoration Start Wednesday 1st December
To stress, this is open to anyone who’d like to join in with the theme. But if you do want more information email us at parkinsonspark@gmail.com
A COMMUNITY HERB PLANTER FOR THE LOVELY ANNE (1942 – 2020)
Earlier this year a planter was installed in the Park, which has now been filled with herbs for community use. The Planter is dedicated to Anne Grant who lived on Kelcliffe Lane for 40 years and died last October after a long illness.
Anne was a friend to many of us locally and took part in many community events held by the neighbours; including an annual bonfire on the allotments, summer garden parties, and winter barn dances. So, her family thought the planter would be a fitting and lasting tribute.
Anne came from Halifax, but was born in Edinburgh, and had a very soft Scots accent. She was an excellent Secretary and married John Grant, a university lecturer, in 1975. They have three children, Andrew, Frances and Christopher who all grew up, like many around here, playing in the Park.
Anne contributed a lot to local groups, including The Chevin Handbell Ringers, and Guiseley in Bloom: she loved both music and flowers. But some of us particularly remember her prowess in anything to do with literature, words and spelling in quizzes.
Anne had a lovely, gentle nature, and was greatly missed by many neighbours when she was admitted to a nursing home permanently a few years ago. But the planter will remind those of us who knew her with great affection, and for others it will provide a means to make food or a walk more pleasurable
HELP DESIGN AN HISTORIC BENCH FOR GUISELEY WELLS
Our colleagues, The Friends of Springfield Park & Guiseley Wells have been awarded one of a unique set of 15 community benches provided by the Leeds Civic Trust ‘Take A Seat’ Project. The benches will commemorate how the citizens of Leeds came together during the Covid 19 Pandemic of Spring 2020. A little like the Trust’s Blue Plaques scheme that celebrates notable historic events.
Continue readingNew Year 2021
Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering “it will be happier”.
~ Alfred Lord Tennyson – The Foresters 1892
2020 A Year of Learning
Well, 2020 did not work out as we had planned, but overall it is probably true to say that for Parkinson’s Park it worked out better; we certainly learnt a lot.
Along the way we lost our community event programme, two benches, and help from Open Country. But as one door shuts another opens, and we gained lots of new visitors using the Park for a variety of purposes, many more people getting involved in building community spirit, a new wood and 4 brand new benches.
We also gained an award as one of the Leeds Parks supporting their local neighbourhood during the Spring Pandemic, and were able to tell our story as one of only 4 Leeds Parks featured on ITV Calendar’s Park Life.
Thank you to everyone who has worked together this year to make the Park special, the people who use it, the people who tidy it, and the ones who enhance it for other to enjoy. Here are some of your photos of 2020
The Friends of Parkinson’s Park wish everyone a good New Year.
Continue readingCHRISTMAS 2020
POPPIES IN THE PARK
The FOPP Poppy Appeal raised £30.24 for the Royal British Legion We’d like to thank everyone who contributed together with Barbara Winfield, Eleanor Thomson, and Becky Prosser for making the poppies for the Farm Gate display.
Friends of Parkinson's Park CIC 
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