NewsletterJuly 2015

Rose Garden re-created

The Rose Garden is now fully replanted and is coming into bloom for the first time. We had a huge task to clear the rose beds which had become infested with weeds and self-set buddleia, and then from late autumn and through winter we planted about 2000 bare root roses.

Thanks to our team of volunteers, including the Prince’s Trust who cleared several beds for us.

All 31 rose beds had been replanted by the end of February and are now in bloom. Each bed has been planted with a single rose variety and sponsored either by a community group or an individual sponsor. Thank you to everyone who supported this project with sponsorship and special appreciation to Priory Roses of Hillam who donated a large number of roses and sold the bare root plants at cost price which allowed us to offer the sponsorship for a reasonable cost.

Of course, the work is far from finished; we have the continuous task of keeping the rose beds free of weeds without the use of weed killer. Regular volunteer gardening sessions, two to three times each month are required, so help is always welcome. We are also looking after the Sensory Garden that we restored two years ago, the herbaceous borders against the Southgate wall and the border against the Bluebell Passage fence. The next gardening session is Saturday 25th

July and then August Saturday 8th. Sessions 2 to 4pm.

New Playground open!

A children’s playground in the Valley Gardens was one of our first priorities having been identified by our community survey as one of the most popular improvements that users of the park wanted. It has taken a little over 2 years to achieve: deciding the type of play equipment, obtaining funding, putting out to tender, choosing the provider and finally delivering the project. It is important that we acknowledge the help that we received from Jill Lofthouse, Wakefield Council Officer who prepared the application to WREN for the majority of the funding and negotiated for Wakefield Council to make up the match funding. Work began on site in March and the playground was eventually completed and the security fence removed on 22nd May. We held a ribbon cutting on Wednesday 3rd June. The playground has been very popular since it opened and has significantly increased visitor numbers to the Valley Gardens.

Tree Dedication

Two chequer trees have been planted to replace dead and dying trees that have been removed by

the Council in recent months. The two trees were sponsored by the Ackworth and Pontefract Branch of the Royal British Legion and the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Regimental Association. The trees are dedicated as a living memorial to the service and sacrifice of service men and women in conflicts over the past century. Chequer trees are native to Britain and were once common in Pontefract, hence Chequerfield. The fruit was used to brew beer before hops came into use, which is why the tree was held in affection by service men. The trees are protected by tree guards and have commemorative plaques in place.

Pontefract Magna Carta 800

We have commemorated the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in the Valley Gardens by displaying the Magna Carta Art Project on the shutters of the former aviary building. Most of the Pontefract junior and senior schools participated in the art project which was supported by the Pontefract Education Trust and coordinated by local artist Emma Horsfield who also compiled the collages of the art work displayed.

One of the newly planted rose beds is dedicated to Magna Carta 800; planted with rose “Rhapsody in Blue”. See the photograph on page 1.

Plan for the former aviary

We plan to retain and restore the former aviary building and hope to re-point the exterior brick-

work and pave the area in front in the near future. This will improve the appearance of the building and surround without changing its general appearance. We have used 3 of the 5 shutters to display Magna Carta art work and the remaining 2 small, lower shutters have been painted with blackboard paint for children to use as chalk boards.

We plan to convert the interior of the building for use as a camera obscura. As well as being a local attraction, it will also have an educational function both artistic and scientific. The cost should be relatively modest at between £10 -15,000 and we are looking for funding opportunities.

Events 2015

Liquorice Festival

We will be having our own Liquorice Festival in the Valley Gardens on Sunday 12th July from 11am. This year we have the Liquorice Singers as well as the falconry and reptile display as usual. There’s lots of stuff for the kids – with of course the new playground. And don’t miss the Rose Garden and Sensory Garden.

Yorkshire Day: 1st August 2015

Yorkshire Day falls on Saturday this year, and because it’s in competition with the Saturday market in the town centre, many of the attractions are moving to the Valley Gardens. So less than 3 weeks after Liquorice Festival there will be an even more exciting event in the Valley Gardens: welly wanging, flat cap throwing, rugby demo, donkey rides for the kids, as well as the usual kids’ stuff.

More events: September and October

Overload 2015

This event will take place in the Valley Gardens on Saturday 19th September. It is organised by the Wakefield Youth Work Team and there will be more details about the event to follow.

Lantern Festival Saturday October 17th

Pontefract Lionesses will be organising this event again for the 4th consecutive year and as for the last 2 years the lantern parade will start at Pontefract Castle and finish in the Valley Gardens. Lantern making workshops will be held from August onwards. Look out for the posters.

AGM May 2015

The Annual General Meeting of Friends of Friarwood Valley Gardens was held at the Central Methodist Church on Thursday 14th May. 25 of 48 current members attended, including the committee, which was re-elected for a further 12 months by the members present. Jim Heap has retired from the committee and was thanked for his contribution over the past 3 years.

The Committee:

Chair – Colin White

Vice Chair – Liz Clayden

Secretary – Maria Dransfield

Treasurer – Viv Hinde

Other committee members: Christine Cartwright and Michael Tyson.

We would be happy to invite additional members on to the committee. Please get in touch. We meet monthly, last Tuesday evening each month.