Croquet in Mayow Park

By Jane Sheridan

Sydenham Croquet are relocating from their current site on Lawrie Park Road, where we have been part of the wider Sydenham Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club,  to the former bowls green in Mayow Park.

We are one of the oldest surviving clubs in the country, being established in 1899, and it is with great sadness that we move after a decision was taken to redevelop our lawn as a tennis court.
 
We have been made to feel very welcome by both The Friends of Mayow Park, and Lewisham Council, as well as their management company, Glendale, and look forward to a long and settled future in our new home. We will start to play from April, usually on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

We are a thriving club with a strong social side and offer a warm welcome to anyone who’d just like to try this engaging and fun game. For free taster sessions please contact:  info@sydenhamcroquet@gmail.com

Make Mayow Road Safer

The high number of road accidents on Mayow Road, close to schools and the park, is a cause of concern for local residents. They have set up a petition for safety on this road to be improved.

The residents of Sydenham and Mayow Road request immediate action from Councillor Sophie McGeevor. We recommend a full review of Mayow Road's safety risks and propose the following safety measures are put in place:

     - Full length speed bumps
     - Pedestrian crossings by all Mayow park entrances
     - A speed camera

You can sign the petition at:https://www.change.org/p/lewisham-councillor-sophie-mcgeevor-cabinet-member-for-environment-and-transport-make-mayow-road-safer

Lark in the Park

Saturday 22nd June, 12 noon - 4pm, Mayow Park

Lark in the Park is the community festival brought to you by Perry Vale Assembly, designed to bring local people and community groups together for a day of fun in the park. This year, the theme will be celebrating world cultures.  We hope to have a music and performance stage, and we are also looking forward to welcoming the police #together team with their police horses and dogs.  Plus all the usual attractions including free face painting and storytelling for under-fives, free tennis tasters, Dr. Bike and all our favourite local community groups and charities.

Thanks as usual to Friends of Mayow Park for helping to plan and publicise the festival – find out more about the Friends on their Facebook page: @FriendsofMayowPark.

Lark in the Park - 30th June

Mayow Park: Summer 2015 Update

By Alona Sheridan, Chair, Friends of Mayow Park. Alona updated us on activities at Mayow Park — a much-loved, 7-hectare public park located between Forest Hill and Sydenham.

Park receives Green Flag Award!

Fourteen of Lewisham’s parks were each awarded a Green Flag in July this year and Mayow Park was one of them. This was the 19th year of the awards, which highlight the value of parks and green spaces for their local communities. We must commend Glendale Lewisham for working to the standards demanded for achieving these awards.

In addition to general maintenance such as grass cutting and repair to facilities, Glendale has responsibility for maintaining the cricket square to a suitable standard for weekly matches during the cricket season. Cricket in Mayow Park looks set to stay and the most active home team, Caribbean Mix, is doing very well. The fixtures’ list is posted on the notice boards around the park.

For those who have not visited the park in a while, an outdoor ‘gym and trim’ trail was installed in January 2015. The equipment appeals to all ages and not only to fitness enthusiasts. An extensive range of fitness facilities now exists if we include the children’s playground and older children’s area, and tennis courts.

Having such a busy park requires a quality café, and Mayow Park has just that. Brown and Green opened in August 2014 and has proved to be an invaluable addition to the park.

Community group activities

Friends of Mayow Park’s (FOMP’s) gardening volunteers look after plant beds at the Triangle (near the café), which consist of a fruit garden and herb garden. These beds replace the original roses and bedding plants that were costly to maintain. Now, park users can pick leaves of herbs or taste the raspberries, admire the tall cardoon plants that bumble bees love, meander along the two woodchip paths or relax on the grass by the magnificent dawn redwood  tree. The orchard of eleven fruit trees, near the tennis courts, is now in its fourth summer and, with Lewisham Council’s approval, will receive additional fruit trees. Lewisham’s Nature’s Gym conservation volunteers visit three or four times a year, working alongside FOMP, to help maintain these areas (photo, below). Their blog recently featured our very own Mayow Park — see natureconservationlewisham.co.uk/category/natures-gym.

Mayow Park is also the home of Grow Mayow, an independent community garden, situated behind the café. Their activities and events have a great focus on gardening and the environment. A measure of their popularity was evident when £1,890 funding for beekeeping activities was awarded at the Perry Vale Assembly last November (2014). Congratulations to Grow Mayow for this success!

Special events

The bowling green of the former bowls club — which closed a couple of years ago — can be hired for special events, including parties and open-air film screenings. As part of Sydenham Arts’ Summer Festival, the film ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was screened on a Sunday evening in early July. Other summer events included Lewisham Council’s dog micro-chipping event, which was well attended by dog-owners, and Perry Vale Assembly’s successful ‘Lark in the Park’ community event.  

For more info, visit friendsofmayowpark.blogspot.co.uk

Lark in the Park

Fun and games in Mayow Park on Saturday 18th July

The 'Outstanding' Grow Mayow Community Garden

As well as the Forest Hill Society gaining 'Outstanding' in the London In Bloom competition, another local group achieved the same accolade:

Grow Mayow Community Garden has been awarded the highest level of achievement from the Royal Horticultural Society and London in Bloom in this year’s RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood initiative.


Iris Borgers and Erika Sager were presented with the Level 5: Outstanding award at the RHS London In Bloom ceremony at the Surrey County Cricket Club on Monday, 8 September.

“This is a wonderful achievement for the Garden that would not have been possible without the help of local volunteers who have spent countless hours planting, weeding, watering and moving mulch” says Iris Borgers, Garden Director.  “We are also very thankful for the support we have received from Martin Hyde at Green Scene, Shannon’s Garden Centre, Mayow Park Systems, Havelock 11, Caribbean Mix Cricket Club, Friends of Mayow Park and Streetscape whose contributions and donations have made the reinstatement of the front garden possible.”

Grow Mayow Community Garden Project is open to public on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 2pm and has weekly volunteer sessions on Tuesday mornings from 10am to noon and Wednesday afternoons from noon to 2pm. They host a variety of events for children and from September will be running their own Nature Kids Club on Thursday mornings from 10:30 to Noon.

Further details about Grow Mayow Community Garden Project and all upcoming events can be found at growmayow.blogspot.co.uk

Mayow Park Community Day - sunday 31st August

In addition to the cricket fun, there will be the official opening of the new cafe, Brown and Green, in the Pavilion. However, unofficially it opened yesterday, so it is not too early to try it out and enjoy some time in Mayow Park.

Wacky Olympics - Saturday 20th August - Mayow Park

Information has been sent to us regarding a fun local event in a few weeks time, and all for a good cause....

Wacky Olympics – Mayow Park, Saturday August 20

Lewisham’s first ever Wacky Olympics – a family sports day with a funny twist
Date: 20th August
Location: Mayow Park, Sydenham (SE26)

Bring your trainers and winning attitude and join us for fun, laughter and games to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Take part in the space hopper and two people sack races. Get stuck together and go under in twin limbo & many many more silly competitions for the whole family.

Time: Opening ceremony for the Games begins at 12pm and ends at 3pm. To get involved in the games, contestants are encouraged arrive earlier to register.


Other activities include:
· Bouncy castle
· Food and refreshments
· Beat the goalie
· Face painting and arts and crafts and nail art
· A raffle

Entry for the games: £3 adults. £2 for children
Concessions: none


WHY I AM ORGANISING THIS EVENT
I’m a 33-year old L&Q resident from Forest Hill, who, had a clean bill of health and used to go to the gym 5 days a week. I was working as an Associate TV Producer for C4 until September 2009, when I was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukaemia after going to Lewisham Hospital for a routine blood test. On diagnosis, I was given a 20-40% chance of survival and spent four months in hospital isolation receiving chemotherapy. I’ve had to give up working to have 2.5 years of cancer treatment have had 72 blood transfusions to stay alive. Without the help of Macmillan Cancer Support, I would have probably lost my home. To show my enormous gratitude for the financial generosity received from the charity, I want to raise money for Macmillan Cancer to help other families affected by this disease.
Where is the money going to:
I aim to raise £5000 which will to Macmillan Cancer Support. In the process of trying to restrict the funds to local Macmillan services to support local people affected by cancer.

Alternatively you a can make a donation on
http://www.justgiving.com/Bengu-Shail0

Bird Walk in Mayow Park

The Friends of Mayow Park have organised a Bird walk in Mayow Park on Sunday 6th March 2011 at 7am, so if you are up in time, go along and experts will help you identify the birds you see. The walk will last about an hour.

If you have a pair of Binoculars, please take them with you. Meet by the Pavilion near the Burghill Road entrance gate

Cricket on the Village Green

With much of the country under water, our thoughts turn to sunnier times … cricket could well return to Mayow Park.

Plans are afoot to rebuild the cricket square, renovate the outfield and, eventually, refurbish and extend the Pavilion. The former England Captain, Mike Gatting, has visited the park on behalf of the England and Wales Cricket Board and the ECB has now

agreed in principle to fund up to 75% of the project.

The local social enterprise, Envirowork, would then maintain the grounds as part of a training project for the long-term unemployed. Teachsport would provide coaching sessions. There will be a consultation before the full plans are drawn up; watch this space!

December Festivities

Saturday, 5th December, THE START OF CHRISTMAS IN FOREST HILL.

10am-5pm – All Inn One – Dancing on Ice. The car park will be transformed into SE23’s only ice rink with skates of all sizes available for hire. Father Christmas will be there, as will carol singers and face painters. Food and drink a-plenty!

Father Christmas will also be at Question Bar 45/47 Dartmouth Road between 2 and 3.15pm. He will then do a walkabout in The Town Centre. Festive singing will be provided by the Youth Choir from Living Springs International Church

12-5pm - Craft Fair at The Hob, 7 Devonshire Road.


12-5pm, The Honor Oak, 1 St German’s Road - Tea & Make. Craft and the art of making-do. PLUS Celebrity Christmas Light switch-on at 5pm! (Special guest to be announced.)




Saturday, 12th & Sunday, 13th December - The Havelock Open Studios. The artists invite you to join the excitement and show your support for creativity in the community.

PLUS 11th December – 7-9pm - Opening Night. Barbecue, Music, Performance. They're also having a prize draw during the open studios to win one of three works of art - tickets £1 each. www.havelockwalk.com


Sunday, 13th December from 11am. Tree dressing in Mayow Park, by the pavilion. It would help us if you could bring any special scraps of fabric, coloured leaves, berries, paper, ribbon and glue with you. There’ll also be a Christmas Fair between 11am and 4pm with Father Christmas, a local choir and market stalls.

Sunday, 13th December – 3pm- 6pm. Horniman Gardens Carol Singing. Christmas really isn’t Christmas until you’ve sung your heart out at this fabulous annual event. The carols start at 5pm with the English Baroque Choir and Crystal Palace Band. But before that there’s festive fun with a FREE Santa’s grotto, refreshments, toy stalls, roasted chestnuts.

Improvements for Forest Hill Parks

We’re not short of green spaces in SE23 but some of our parks have been neglected over the years. Now, thanks to extra funding, the Horniman Triangle and Mayow Park are getting the tender loving care they deserve.

Horniman Triangle

.... or Forest Hill Beach, as we like to call it! Yes, it’s just a sandpit at the side of the noisy South Circular but this is no ordinary sand pit. It’s got climbing frames and a water pump and the children love it. It has been packed since it opened in early April thanks, no doubt, to the unexpectedly warm weather this Spring. There’s also a little café with outside seating BUT there are no toilet facilities and this is a regular complaint. The swings are also missed especially by people with very young children. Nothing’s ever perfect, unfortunately.

Mayow Park

The Friends of Mayow Park (FOMP) put in a bid to Lewisham Council for ‘Playbuilder’ funds to create a new space where older children could socialise and exercise. That bid has now been successful and the park will receive the funding in 2010-2011. The new space is intended for young people of around 10 to 14 years old.

Even before this exciting news came through, FOMP had started talking about the scheme with some of the Lewisham Young Advisers to the Young Mayor. They are keen to take a lead with planning and development of the proposed new area and a committee has been formed with some Young Advisers, the Council Officers who support them, Green Scene officers, Councillors and FOMP members.

Meanwhile, a revised version of the plan for the Bowls Club accommodation has been submitted to Lewisham Planning Department. Plans were available for viewing in the Bowls Club Pavilion on Saturday 16th May. If the Bowls Club can vacate the present pavilion, it would be available for refurbishment and potential use when cricket restarts in the Park, it’s hoped in Summer 2010.

Vote for Mayow Park

Online voting is now open for you to support parks in Lewisham. Lewisham Council have entered Deptford Park and Mayow Park for the competition to win up to £400,000 of funding from the Greater London Authority.

Find out about the all the entrants from around London, plus more about the competition on the GLA website. Londoners can vote until Friday 30 January 2009 to choose which ten London parks will win the funding.

Vote for Mayow Park
Mayow Park has been open to the public since 1877, so it's time for a facelift.

A grant would help to make it more welcoming by restoring the drinking fountain and improving the children's playground, plus:

• new multigames pitch
• improved wildlife habitats
• new seating and bins
• repainted railings and new signage at entrances

Reproduced from Lewisham Website

UPDATE: Spread the word by joining our Facebook Group at http://votemayowpark.notlong.com, but make sure you vote as well!