The 2012 Bulb Bonanza Makes a Difference – With Your Help

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500 Bulbs to Plant

Saturday 27th October is “Make a Difference Day” – run by the Community Service Volunteers (CSV), it is the UK’s biggest day of volunteering, and provides opportunities for thousands of people to volunteer every year in activities across the country. 

The Friends of Parkinson’s Park, have therefore decided to dedicate our regular Saturday morning working party to  a special project to ‘make a difference’ to the Park .   The task is to plan 500 small daffodil bulbs which have been given to us by the Groundwork Trust Continue reading →

Bird Watch – Nuts About Nuthatches by Darren Shepherd

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Nuthatch Feeding – sitta europaea

Well,  the summer is officially over, and,  as we move into autumn,  the post breeding tits, and other small insectivorous  birds,  start to roam  the countryside in flocks.  These flocks find Parkinsons Park much to their liking, with the wealth of cover and food on offer.  Last Friday, when entering the park from the Nethercliffe Road entrance, I could hear the ‘twittering’of such a flock feeding in the tall trees and scrub that borders Kelcliffe House.

Amongst the noise, I was  pleasantly surprised to hear the call of a “NUTHATCH” (sitta europaea). “Superb”, I thought, “a completely new bird for the parks list” !  The bird is a stunning little thing,  not much bigger than a sparrow, but a true Olympian for its climbing prowess, and adorned in red/orange,white,and blue plumage looking rather exotic in Jubilee colours. Other birds in the flock, included blue, great, and coal tits, along with my favorite the long tailed tit. Continue reading →

Sandringham Sends A New Jubilee Tree

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Sandringham Estate’s Gift to Guiseley

Following the publicity about our stolen Jubilee Oak,  we have received an email from Mr Alexander George, Deputy Land Agent for the Sandringham Estate,  offering us a new Jubilee Oak.  This has now arrived safely,  and is a few years older than the last one –  big enough to be surrounded by some protection.

Darren Shepherd will be doing the planting honours again, as in March, and we will let all Friends know when planting will take place.   Barbara Winfield thought it would be nice to have a special Guiseley guest at the event, so ideas for who that could be are welcome.

If anyone has any thoughts about protecting the tree,  do let us know.   Josie pondered that a surrounding ditch covered in leaves might do the trick, and Andy wondered about hiring a Barghest. Continue reading →

Jonathan Peate Blue Plaque – Invitation to Attend Unveiling

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Jonathan Peate

Philanthropy amongst local businessmen during the ninteenth century industrial revolution,  was a fairly common characteristic.  Our towns are littered with civic buildings and parks given to ‘the people of wherever’ by the ordinary men and women who used their skill and entrepreneurship to build successful enterprises.  In some places, such as Saltaire, Bournville and Port Sunlight they built whole communities to better the lives of their employees.

Guiseley and Yeadon had three (possibly four, see comments below)  big philanthropists;  the first was Jonathan Peate (1837 – 1924).  The seventh child of a Yeadon wool spinner, Jonathan built a thriving woollen business at Nunroyd Mills Continue reading →

Guiseley Artists

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Back in March we suggested that the dead chestnut tree in the Park might be a suitable subject for the “Hockney treatment”, in the light of his successful exhibition of Yorkshire landscapes.   Caroline Herries and Jeff Halden responded to the call and have produced these wonderful studies – contrasting the tree to its surroundings.  Both of them study at the studio of  Simon and Angela Dawson of Stonefall Avenue, Starbeck.

Time Was – Caroline Herries

Tree Shapes – Caroline Herries

White Reflection – Jeff Halden

If there was enough interest, and with Caroline and Jeff’s permission we might be able to get print’s done.  Let us know if you are interested.

Wildflower Summer – by Chris Parapia

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Wildflower Meadow in the Olympic Park, London

Were you caught up in Olympic fever like much of the nation?

I was one of the very fortunate people to have had the privilege of going to the Olympic stadium at the beginning of August. Whilst everyone else was hurrying along to get inside the stadium, I was engrossed in the amazing display of wildflowers that has been planted in the Olympic Park. The colours of the flowers reflected the main colours of the games, namely purples and pinks.

You may not be aware that now that the games have finished Continue reading →

It’s Your Neighbourhood

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It’s Your Neighbourhood -Friends of Parkinson’s Park, Level 3 Developing

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) supports a grassroots community gardening scheme called It’s Your Neighbourhood (IYN).  The idea is help local people to “clean up and green up their immediate local environment to make a lasting improvement- whether that’s the street they live in, or a small patch of communal land needing a revamp”.   By 2012 over 1,000 groups from all over the UK had signed up to the scheme and Parkinson’s Park is one of them. Continue reading →

Parkinson’s Park Removed from the SHLAA

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We have heard today from Leeds City Planners, that, after strong protests by both ourselves and local councillors, Parkinson’s Park has been removed from the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment, by the Leeds SHLAA Partnership.

SHLAA sites have been identified by Leeds and various local land owners as potential areas for housing.  These sites are currently being assessed for their housing potential under the Leeds Local Development Framework.

This still leaves the Kelcliffe Lane land in the SHLAA, and maybe other new areas in this part of Guiseley, but at least this is a start.  The new 2012 SHLAA map will be available in October, following a call earlier this year for more land to be earmarked as housing potential.

Queen’s Gift to Guiseley People, Stolen

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Site of stolen tree

We are very sad to have to report that the little oak sapling from the Royal Sandringham Estate,  given to us by the Woodland Trust to plant for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee,  has been stolen.  Someone,  has lifted off the surrounding turf and dug out the little tree.

Either side of the sapling was two other self seeded oaks,  anyone who wanted an oak was very welcome to one of these,  or one of the many other self seeded oaks around the park.   But,  it was this special little tree,  planted by a group of local people in March 2012 for our children to enjoy in their latter years,  that has been taken.   Indeed,  some of those children helped with the planting.

It would be nice if whoever took the tree, had a twang of remorse, and replanted it where it was put originally.

Hotel Bug – the madness continues unabated

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Hotel Bug – clearly visible above the cut hawthorn

In an audacious move characterised by a typical disregard for local opinion, another construction has appeared in Parkinson’s Park with little discussion, consultation or general consideration for community views. Lying but a few meters from Hotel Scarabee a similar hotel named “Hotel Bug” has appeared almost overnight. It is predicted that this latest building will attract a variety of insects which will in turn give rise to other inhabitants such as birds and bats. The already overstretched infrastructure of nearby trees and shrubs will be subjected to further demands as winged insects and other creatures look for food and recreation. A local resident speaking on behalf of the neighbourhood said “I remember when this was full of litter, glass and barbed wire. We knew where we were in those days. This is just pure madness”. The new hotel opened with live bands rocking the night until the early hours. Mc Fly headlined with  a medley of tracks from the Bee Gees and the Beetles. As the dust gradually settles on this new development residents wait and watch to see what comes next. There have been rumours of small boxes going up designed specifically to attract bird and bats. All we know is that the development machine moves on and no one is safe!