Penge Green Gym Newsletter August 2015

Dear Penge Green Gym Supporters A very British summer BBQ! The volunteers of the Penge Green Gym weren't daunted by the wind and rain for our summer BBQ last Wednesday. There were times when the gazebo nearly took off but we had fun regardless of the challenging conditions! Representatives from Bromley council, the Landscape group, TCV and local Councillor Pete Fookes were there to help us celebrate another great year and all enjoyed the good food on offer. Winners with Cultivation Street and Green Flag Awards! We are excited to announce that we are winners of the Pollination Street award from Cultivation Street. These annual awards in conjunction with the Mirror help to encourage front gardens and community gardens. We have been mentioned in today's Mirror - www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/cultivation-street-garden-groups-doing-6348888, unfortunately the pictures have been mixed up so look for Cyril and the bug boxes and our bog garden! We will be receiving £500 in national garden gift vouchers which is very gratefully received. Many thanks to our volunteer Dave Fergusson for putting us forward for this award. Dave also put us forward for the Green Flag Awards. The Green Flag Award® Scheme recognises and rewards the best green spaces. In 2015, a record number of awards were made with 1582 parks and green spaces currently flying a Green Flag or Green Flag Community Award. Well done again Dave! Projects in the garden The woodland path is coming along at great speed and will soon be ready for lining and filling with gravel. As we move into autumn and winter we will be looking at new projects in the growing area such as new bays to hold deliveries of soil improver and wood chip. And also we can now move ahead with plans for our composting toilet! The bog garden and wildflower have been in full bloom although have now died down but have been a haven for wildlife of all kinds. Easyfundraising You can still also use Easyfundraising is an easy and free way to support the Penge Green Gym. When you buy items on the internet from well known shops such as John Lewis and Amazon, you can sign up to Easyfunding and they will donate a percentage to Penge Green Gym. To sign up, go to www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/pengegreengym.

Penge Green Gym - Cultivation Street Special Category Winner 2015

Today the Winners of the special categories were announced in the national Cultivation Street competition and Penge Green Gym won the Pollination Street award. As well as receiving £500 of National Garden Centre Gift Vouchers, this award recognises Penge Green Gym as a gardening group making a real difference in their community. Cultivation Street is a campaign for front gardens and community gardening which aims to:

Bring back front gardens and revitalise our streets Promote and support community gardening projects Inspire people to take up gardening and grow their green skills Bring communities together through gardening activities

They have £20,000 of National Gardening Gift Vouchers to give away including the top prize of £10,000 of vouchers for the overall winner of Cultivation Street. New this year, the Pollination Street award was given to the best community gardening project that is creating a space for wildlife to flourish. That could be sowing wildflowers, building bug hotels or creating a full-blown wildlife sanctuary. The special category winners were announced in the Sunday People this morning:

Penge Green Gym Newsletter Late June 2015

See what's happening in Penge this week....

Penge Green Gym Newsletter    Dear Penge Green Gym Supporters   Great day out at the Penge Green Gym Open Day The sky may have been a little grey but the residents still turned out in force for our annual open day. The gardens looked spectacular with many roses in full bloom and many people commented on how beautiful it looked.  The smaller residents enjoyed the treasure hunt and having their face painted whilst the parents and other locals enjoyed the plant stall and a cup of tea and a piece of cake.  It was lovely to see the gardens full of people and here their lovely feed back about the work that we are doing here. Sadly, the night before our open day our greenhouse was vandalised once again with many panels kicked in and plants that we were selling that day scattered on the floor.  Luckily, many of the plants were salvageable and were snapped up by the locals.  The vandalism is an ongoing problem and we are liaising with the local police.      AGM We are sending out notification for our next AGM on Wednesday 29th July. PENGE GREEN GYM COMMUNITY GROUP/ FRIENDS OF WINSFORD GARDENS NOTICE OF THIRD ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WEDNESDAY 29th JULY, 2014, 2.15pm at WINSFORD GARDENS, GARDEN ROAD, PENGE SE20 7XW AGENDA 1. To receive the report from the Chair of the Penge Green Gym Community Group Management Committee for the period since the first Annual General Meeting on 30th July 2014. 2. To receive the report from the Treasurer of the Penge Green Gym Community Group Management Committee for the period since the first Annual General Meeting on 30th July 2014. 3. To elect Management Committee members, officers and leaders as prescribed by the Penge Green Gym Community Group’s constitution. All current committee members are to resign at this AGM, but are eligible for re-election to the Community Group Management Committee 4. To discuss future programme and projects 5. Any other business Apologies for absence or nominations for positions on the Management Committee should be submitted to the Secretary, Electra Thompson, prior to the meeting Electra Thompson Secretary, Penge Green Gym Community Group Management Committee   Easyfundraising You can still also use Easyfundraising is an easy and free way to support the Penge Green Gym.  When you buy items on the internet from well known shops such as John Lewis and Amazon, you can sign up to Easyfunding and they will donate a percentage to Penge Green Gym.  To sign up, go to www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/pengegreengym.

The Gardens of Petersonville: Five Petaled Roses

The Gardens of Petersonville: Five Petaled Roses:   The cool, damp, overcast days we have been having make me glad I have so many simple five petaled roses in the gardens.  I love the...

Penge Green Gym Newsletter June 2015

See what's happening in Penge this week....

Penge Green Gym Newsletter        Dear Penge Green Gym Supporters     Come to our Open Day! Yes, it's that time of year again when Penge Green Gym works extra hard to make Winsford Gardens look it's best for our annual open day in conjunction with the Open Gardens Squares Weekend and the Penge Festival.  This year it is on a Sunday and we will be having lots of activities for children including a treasure hunt and painting activities and they can even have face painted too!  Thanks to a good spring we also have a large stock of plants that we will be selling and to relax you there will be a taster Tai Chi session.  So come along, and bring your family and friends to enjoy a lovely day out.  The full poster is at the bottom of the newsletter.  We'd also like to thank the Landscape Group for helping us to get ready by mowing and strimming the lawns.  It is looking very smart!   CEB Global Impact Volunteering Day We had a fantastic day when members of CEB came to help us repair our hazel fence that surrounds the wildflower meadows.  The enthusiastic team quickly repaired the woven fence and then carried on the good work by planting out the raised vegetable beds, clipped hedges and helped to dig our new woodland path.  Lots of fun was had by all and we thank you all for your hard work!     In Other News Some of the members of the Penge Green Gym went to our sister gym at Bromley to help them celebrate their first day as an independent group.  Members of TCV and Bromley council were there to offer their support and welcome the new group.  We were given a guided tour around the park at College Green and the volunteers supplied a wonderful buffet.  We wish Bromley the best of luck for the future. Meanwhile in Winsford Gardens, we are on the cusp of summer and the park is looking beautiful.  Many of the roses are now blooming and our work planting perenials during the autumn and winter are now really thriving. Our greenhouse is also full of plants that will be sold on our Open Day, and any not sold will be planted out.     Easyfundraising   You can still also use Easyfundraising is an easy and free way to support the Penge Green Gym.  When you buy items on the internet from well known shops such as John Lewis and Amazon, you can sign up to Easyfunding and they will donate a percentage to Penge Green Gym.  To sign up, go to www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/pengegreengym.  You can also help by downloading the easfundraising christmas pack and print of posters and flyers and add our name.

Winsford Gardens Open Day Sun 14th June 2015

Penge Green Gym will be holding our fourth Open Garden Squares day on Sunday 14th June 2014 from 11am to 4pm in Winsford Gardens, SE20 7RN.

The Open Garden Squares Weekend is a prestigious event in the gardener’s calendar where gardens all over London open their doors to the public. Over 200 gardens are involved in the weekend event, (including 10 Downing Street!) Other gardens range from historical private squares to contemporary roof gardens, in places as diverse as museums, prisons, barges and shipping containers.

Winsford Gardens is managed by Penge Green Gym, a group of volunteers set up in May 2011 by The Conservation Volunteers (formally BTCV). The volunteers have been working to transform Winsford Gardens into a vibrant community and wildlife garden for almost four years now. At this event we will be proud to show off all the hard work we have undertaken. Projects include constructing a growing area complete with greenhouse and nursery beds; seeding wildflower meadows; planting up the ornamental beds; building compost bins, seating, and a children’s playground, planting an orchard, hedgerows and a bog garden… the list goes on!

This year the open day is part of the larger Penge Festival chedule of events.

We will have our very popular children’s activities, plant sale and refreshment stall, and the Tai Chi is back too!

It will be a good chance to see for yourself how Winsford Gardens continue to change.

Winsford Gardens is on Garden Road, off Croydon Road, situated between Aldi and Travelodge. The nearest Bus routes are: 358, 75, 197, 356.

More information on the Open Garden Squares weekend at http://www.OpenSquares.org
More information on the Penge Festival at http://www.pengepartners.co.uk/penge-festival/4582027977
Visit us at http://www.PengeGreenGym.org.uk
Follow Penge Green Gym on Twitter @GreenGymPenge & Facebook

Tales from Duck Island Cottage: Cafés and Catalpas

Tales from Duck Island Cottage: Cafés and Catalpas: Bonnington Square Community Gardens sit in dramatic contrast to the traffic-dominated world around them.  Leaving Vauxhall station, you pass...