Events :

Events : Next Litter Pick 7th September 2024

We will have regular litter picks in the park throughout 2024. The last one in 2023 filled 8 bags of litter.  This really helps keep the park looking good.

SATURDAY 7th September 2024  equipment available between 10.00 – 10.10AM 
Sports Pavilion, Manor Farm Road – Please wear suitable clothes and footwear
Collecting bags and pickers provided. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN GLOVES

Future dates:  7 September, 5 October, 2 November 2024

TRIFEST TRIUMPHANT RETURN!!

Last Saturday 27th Trifest filled Cobden Meadows with local families enjoying the sunshine, music, food and refreshments and a wide variety of stalls.

Friends of the Park had a stall, providing information about local wildlife, trees in the park and selling plants and bric-a-brac to boost our funds much depleted by the absence of SCC Community Chest fund.

Some good pics of the event from Bitterne Park Info at the link below

http://bitternepark.info/index.php?opti

Twitter:  fest_tri  Website:    trifest.uk

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087876197870

About TriFest

TriFest is run by a small group of volunteers and comes under the umbrella of Friends of Riverside Park. 

We had a range of local musicians performing, along with local traders and community organisations stalls, Games, a dog show ran by Second Chance animal rescue (enter on the day), and artwork projects, and the Beer Tent bar run by the Butcher’s Hook. Several food stalls including The Curry Lounge, Caribbean Soca Shack and something for those with a sweet tooth kept visitors well fed.

2024/2025 annual membership subscriptions are now due for payment – now unfortunately increased to £5 per year as we have lost the Community Chest grant from SCC due to cutbacks.

We would welcome any new committee members, particularly those with digital or WordPress skills!!

WEDNESDAY 26TH October 2022   DONE!

Bulb planting. We are organising power tools to create the holes for the bulbs so the work to plant and refill the holes should not be too onerous but all help gratefully received.

By the ramp from Cobden Bridge, St Denys Road – Please wear suitable clothes and footwear

AGM Minutes of Thursday 28th.. March 2024

Venue : Bitterne Park Social Club, Manor Farm Road

Present : David Hutchings (DH), (Minutes), Diane Read (DAR), David Read (DVR), Marie Weaver (MW), , Vicky Fenerty (VF) Cllr.Tony Bunday (TB), Paul Jenks (PJ), Cllr. Amanda Barnes-Andrews (ABA), Gavin Millar (Estuary) (GM),

Speakers from Wildlife Rescue : Penny McCarthy (PMcC), Shirley Lee (SL)

Apologies : Ann Bennett(AB),
Welcome from David Hutchings meeting commenced at 19.35 hrs. Chair : DH would chair the meeting.

Wildlife Rescue (Ringwood) PMcC and SL : came a distance to give a talk about the rescue of wild ducks and swans on the river and river banks as a prelude to the formal business of the AGM. Their group rescued swans which had been attacked by dogs etc. and taken for veterinary treatment either near Ringwood or a their large base at Shepperton. The aim was to return swans and ducks to appropriate areas for them after treatment if at all possible. Advice was given as to what to do in such cases and leaflets were given out which we could distribute.

Swans could be fed with bread and other items like peas and rice but this food should be cast to swans in the river. They should not be encouraged to climb up to the land where they are vulnerable from dogs and people. Their natural element is water and they are safer there. They do nest but these areas need to be remote and difficult to access by dogs and people.

Information from the talk would be added to our website and Twitter feed. It was agreed that the safety of wildlife needs protection and that swans in particular are very beautiful and very welcome residents on the river.

Thanks were given to Penny & Shirley for their talk. Minutes : Minutes from April 2023 AGM Approved

Matters Arising : None not otherwise to be covered in the meeting later.

Secretary’s Report : Nothing unusual to report. DPy remains as he has been for several years.

Treasurer’s Report : This will be delivered at the next meeting on 25th. April.

Litter Pick Dates: Prepared and listed by AB but revised by DR and copies were available.

Next Litter Pick Saturday 6th. April 2024 at 10.00 hrs Perry Sports Pavilion, Manor Farm Road.

Followed by : 4th.May, 16.June, 1th.July, 3rd .August, 7th. September, 5th.October, 2nd.November 2024.
All beginning at 10.00 hrs at the Perry Pavilion, Manor Farm Road.

Saints benches : Red and White stripes have been affixed to one bench in front of the Perry Pavilion. Another may be so treated. It was generally thought to be a great idea that these stripped benches were identified as those where people would welcome to be engaged in conversation. However no use had as yet been observed being made of this new feature.

Notice Display Cases : The two new green smaller Display Notice Cases, one in River Walk and one at Dimond Car Park are in operation. The River Walk one is filled with TPRA material which they have never asked permission to use.

Mansbridge Notice Case has been sawn down at the base thus saving a repair by SCC. The same happened at River View Road.

Electronic Communication : This was discussed again. PJ will continue to post FoRP items on X (formerly Twitter) and sent them to Bitterne Park Info. However he will not deal with Facebook or Instagram.

DH asked about the training begun on our website. MW had been half- trained but otherwise only AB could make changes to our site.

Committee Elections : There is no Chairman and this situation will not change.

Secretary : DH agreed to remain as Secretary and this was APPROVED

Treasurer : In the absence of AB it was AGREED that she continue unless we heard differently.

In the absence of any further nominations or volunteers for inclusion on the committee the existing one was elected en bloc for another year.

However Gavin Millar volunteered to be included on the committee after nomination by TB and this was AGREED by all present.

ex. Pitch & Putt hedge : The use of plastic sleeves was again discussed. VF would tidy up the length of whips planted whilst DH would ask Sarah T. whether it was essential for the sleeves to remain since they appear to cause overheating of the young plants. Their main point being the prevention of attack by rabbits and deer and we appear to have no major presence of these mammals.

Tree Trail : PJ appealed for photos of appropriate specimen trees which could be featured. He suggested that there should be a weekly “Tuesday Tree” to be featured.

The first ten trees on the trail have been identified but TB reported that he has the label for a Rowan (Sorbus spp.) but no suitable specimen has been selected.

The “what three words” system works well where it is employed.

Growing Spaces : The suggestion of making use of the grass islands at the cycle safety track was not taken up by the GS group. They want a fenced off area but this is not possible in Riverside Park. FoRP will await developments but cannot support a fenced off area. We note that the use of large gardens “in the community” where owners cannot manage them would be a far better option of an enclosed space, better use of land for food production and community support offers a solution even if this is not the ideal GS wishes for.

Jubilee Trees : Seventy trees were planted in Spring 2023

2023. This preceded a long very hot summer and in spite of some use of a bowser to water them this was too late to save all the trees. It is feared that 40 may have died. Damage all around the cambial layer of stems in some cases from a strimmer used by contractors was blamed for the death of some trees. However it is hard to imagine that a complete circumference of a stem would be caused by casual strimming. When fruit trees were planted all at the rear of premises in Manor Farm Road (Cobden Meadows) disappeared after vigorous objections to their planting from neighbouring residents. This remains an open question.

Woodmill Fen : TB was asked if any progress was made on this area. He replied that it is too wet this autumn and winter for work to take place. DH recommended that the children’s playing area NOT be re- equipped with apparatus since the area was enclosed and not visible to reduce vandalism. Perhaps that area could be used as an enclosed space for non-commercial dog training or an extension to the fen.

Trifest :The next Trifest is planned for SATURDAY 22nd. July 2024 (TBC) and should take place at the area near to Cobden Bank.

Thanks to all who have volunteered for FoRP and attended this evening.

Meeting Closed at 21:15 hrs.

Next Committee Meeting : THURSDAY 20th June 2024 at 19.30 hrs at BPSC. djh/april/2024