Meadow Park Diary Update

2026 August

On Monday 3^rd August the hay in Bateman and Gibson’s Fields was cut along with the Arboretum. The hay was baled and wrapped in black plastic, then removed from the site. Sadly the north side of the park could not be mown as the Nixon Walk entrance had a broken bollard so the machinery could not get in. We hope to cut this section in the near future when we can get access.

On Wednesday 5^th August volunteers waded into Kingston Brook to cut back the overhanging branches and deal with the Himalayan balsam with particular attention given to the stretch between Kestrel and Heron bridges. Saturday 8^th August was the regular working morning and volunteers cut back blackthorn and continued work on clearing the vegetation along the banks of Kingston Brook.

Meadow Park got formal approval from RBC to become an LNR (Local Nature Reserve). The next step is to publicise this and wait for any objections/suggestions which the general public might have. If there are no objections then an official document will be produced to formalise the listing. The document is kept by RBC with a copy sent to Natural England. This listing will not increase our work load significantly but we do need to include in in our five year plan. Paul Phillips, Sarah Postlethwaite, RBC, ELPC and FoMP members all helped in making this become a reality. LNR status will give us better protection from the land being sold or developed and we can also initiate bye-laws to protect the park. RBC will arrange and pay for a LNR sign for the park, which should also include mention of our lowland meadow, history and species.

2026 July

20 tonnes of aggregate was donated by Cemex. Cemex delivered it and spread it along the pathway north of Hall Field. Although 20 tonnes seems a lot it will cover only about 100 metres of path. Volunteers explained what needed to be done but the actual work was done by the Cemex team – we are extremely grateful.

The work party on Saturday 11^th July once again waded into Kingston Brook to clear it of Himalayan Balsam, overhanging branches and general debris. Some scrap metal was also retrieved from the brook. Later work included clearing the poplar sucker growth in the Arboretum and trimming the willow sculpture near the Bateman Road entrance.

On the night of Monday 13^th July Paul Dulwich set up two portable moth traps to record the number and species of moths in the park. He recorded 35 Macro and 35 Micro species of moths and some interlopers such as bush cricket. The black arches moth was a male with beautiful feathery antennae which enables it to detect a female up to 200 metres away.

RBC tree warden arranged for the removal of the trees in the Forest School area that had been vandalised. With their bark removed the trees were unsafe. A team came with a chain saw and cut them down and took them off site.

2026 May

On Saturday 9^th May Meadow Park volunteers tidied up the Forest School area and the parts of Hall Field where fires had been started intentionally. About seven fires were started in all, the fire brigade was called to put them out and investigate. In a couple of instances they found aerosol cans which was clear evidence of arson. They report all fires found to be started intentionally to the police. Other work carried out in May included cutting back blackthorn and adding to the dead hedging. On Wednesday 27^th May around 20 people attended an evening walk in the park organised by Gordon Dyne, Chair of the Wild Life Trust, Rushcliffe, with Kevin and Sarah of Friends of Meadow Park to view flora and fauna. They saw some peacock and brimstone butterflies, six spot burnet caterpillars and some interesting plants including grasses and adder’s tongue fern.

2026 April

The regular work party met on Saturday 11^th April. They took advantage of the low rainfall and the drop of water level in Kingston Brook to don waders and wellies to carry out the first stage of the work requested by TVDB (Tent Valley Drainage Board). The aim is to adjust the flow of the brook, slowing down run off and therefore helping with flood management. The first state of the work concentrated on the area around Kestrel Bridge upstream towards Kingfisher Bridge. This involved removing restrictions under and around the supports of Kestrel Bridge and cutting back a minimum of low hanging branches on the bank side up to Kingfisher Bridge. Some volunteers were in the water, others handed them tools and helped remove branches and litter.

2026 March

The fencing for the pipeline was put in place but Severn Trent has to reschedule work because in mid-March birds began nesting in the area of the proposed pipeline. Members of the FoMP committee (Kev Gibbons and Andy Denker) met with David Moore (Forkers project manager) on 10^th March and also spoke with Mark Woods, the county plant recorder, who is a grassland expert working with Severn Trent on the project. They made a plan to ensure rare plants were protected. Over the following months this plan has had to be revised. On Saturday 14^th March volunteers planted honeysuckle and focused on the route of the pipeline digging up and transplanting plants to other areas of the park to limit the loss of wild flowers in the meadows. This was mostly focussed on Oak Meadow. A number of dead elm trees were removed and the blackthorn hanging over the Nixon Walk entrance was cut back to enable farm machinery to access the park for maintenance work.

2026 February

British Gypsum volunteers had to delay their work party till March because of bad weather. February saw the continuation of winter work in the Bateman Field border removing the encroaching blackthorn, smaller stumps being removed with tree poppers. The clearance was done up to the markers for Severn Trent to erect the exclusion fence. The dead hedge was also completed up to the fence. Work carried on along the railway embankment with the hope that the grizzled skipper butterfly will find the right habitat as it travels along the railway line.

2026 January

In January winter work continued with more clearing of blackthorn, particularly along the Bateman Field borders. On 6^th January Martin Spratley donated seven tons of wood chippings which were spread along the path around Hall Field. The January working party met on 17^th (instead of the 10^th) because of the weather conditions, winter work continued and the bird boxes were checked. The Rushcliffe tree warden assessed the three large ash trees along the Bateman Road boundary and decided they needed a lot of remedial work. The trees were not felled but had large branches removed, their height reduced by three metres and their crowns cleaned. We were runners up in the Rushcliffe Environment Award 2025. The winner was Simon Lane, tree warden from Hickling. As runner up we got a certificate and our MP James Naish sent a letter recognising our achievement.

Severn Trent work on the pipeline through the park

What we know March 17^th 2026

The fencing is in place but work has been delayed or rescheduled for six weeks or so because of nesting birds. Ramm Sanderson is observing the nests to ensure the timing is feasible for the work to continue. Forkers plan to start work in the Gibson Field area so the impact of the nesting birds might not be too significant. Members of the FoMP committee (Kev Gibbons and Andy Denker) met with David Moore (Forkers project manager) on 10^th March and also spoke with Mark Woods, the county plant recorder who is a grassland expert working with Severn Trent on the project. The plan has been updated so the topsoil (which includes the turf and is a depth of around 15-20cm) is now going to be stripped and stored along the fence line and put back as the last thing on the top (not now at the bottom of the trench). It will be flattened out and is still unlikely to have much that survives that will re-grow, so it will need to be seeded with green hay (ideally from our meadows). David said it may be possible to remove turves from Gibson’s Field and place them in Bateman Field and this will preserve some wildflowers. The idea is to replace the turves in Gibson’s Field when the work is completed.

Severn Trent work on the pumping station in East Leake:

What we know 2^nd March 2026

The laying of a new sewage pipe from the pumping station in East Leake to the treatment work on West Leake Road (under the railway bridge) with particular focus on its route through Meadow Park.

The new sewage pipe will be 355mm in diameter, the old one being 225mm. The old pipe will be left in situ as backup for the new pipe. The sewage will be pumped through the new pipe at a higher rate and should reduce drastically the number of times raw sewage is discharged into Kingston Brook.

The ground construction contractors is a company called Forkers and they will be carrying out the work on behalf of Severn Trent. The work is planned for the beginning of March, with the pipeline being put in situ by the end of May. An easement width, with timber fencing along each side, will be 20m wide and will be dug before work on laying the pipe begins. The actual trench width for the pipe will be around six metres wide. The turf and topsoil will be stripped and will be stored in a bund but probably not in the easement area next to where it has been dug out. This is not what we had hoped as the soil replaced will not contain the seeds/roots from the original area. We are working on this problem.

Due to the importance of Gibson’s Field we asked for the turf to be specifically stripped separately and kept in the same way, then replaced back in the same area. We do not want the area in Gibson’s Field to be cultivated/seeded as it contains important rare species (such as dropwort) so we don’t want to change the nature of this part of the meadow. Forkers said this would look untidy as much of the grass would die (as it is five to six weeks before it can be replaced). We explained that this would be alright as many of the roots and seeds in these turfs should regenerate. We can also cut hay from our unaffected areas and spread this over the easement area. We asked Severn Trent to include this request in their management plan and Forkers said that they would check this happens. Our chairman Kevin Gibbons has liaised directly with Forkers to get the storage of the turves adjacent to where they were lifted included in the work plan. Paul Phillips (our RBC link) has confirmed that he has recommended this process with the proviso that if the weather gets very hot members of Friends of Meadow Park committee will water the turves as required.

Darren Ford is Forkers project manager and has been very helpful in discussions so far. Friends of Meadow Park have no actual say in what will happen as the park is owned by Rushcliffe Borough Council. However we have a member of the RBC environment team on our committee (Paul Phillips) and he will keep us informed and up to date with progress.

We also discussed the sensitivity of the old trackway and the paleo channel and Forkers agreed to be very careful in these areas and replace all the soil and turf contouring it to the original topography.

When any work like this is carried out there is a BNG assessment (Biodiversity Net Gain). The spreadsheet is being prepared and will be sent to Paul Phillips (RBC) who will review it. Happily we have several quite knowledgeable people on the Friends of Meadow Park committee who have the relevant background to understand and interpret the findings/suggestions. We will see what can be gained in the BNG area and keep you informed.

Some incidentals:

A compound will be established in the Recreation Ground.
Although the park will basically be split in two there will be walkways established along paths so that walkers can re-route around the work where possible.
Dog waste bins will either remain outside the fenced off area or be relocated temporarily so they remain in use.
The fences may stay in place for up to a year as the grass and flowers need to regrow when the trench has been laid and the soil and turf replaced.
The trench will cut through one of the hedges. The width of the easement area will be reduced to ten metres here and the hedge will be made good/restored at the end of the project.
Forest School should not be affected too badly and Forkers will liaise with school staff.
The trench through the recreation ground will go between the skateboards park and the basket ball park.

2026 March work in the park

On Saturday 14^th March volunteers planted honeysuckle and focused on the route of the pipeline digging up and transplanting plants to other areas of the park to limit the loss of wildflowers in the meadows. This was mostly focussed on Oak Meadow.

Other work in March consisted of British Gypsum volunteers and ad hoc working parties continuing work in the arboretum and cutting back blackthorn. A number of dead elm trees have been removed and the blackthorn hanging over the Nixon Walk entrance has been cut back to enable farm machinery to access the park for maintenance work.

2026 February

British Gypsum volunteers were due to restart their work in the park in February, but bad weather delayed their work party till March. However we are delighted that a second group of BG volunteers will start work in the park in the near future. Their enthusiasm and youth make a big difference to our work.

February saw the continuation of winter work in the Bateman Field border removing the encroaching blackthorn, smaller stumps being removed with tree poppers. The clearance was done up to the markers for Severn Trent to dig their trench and erect the exclusion fence. The dead hedge was also completed up to the fence and will be added to in due course.

Work carried on along the railway embankment with the hope that the grizzled skipper butterfly will find the right habitat as it travels along the railway line.

2026 January work

In January winter work continued with more clearing of blackthorn, particularly along the Bateman Field borders. On 6^th January Martin Spratley donated seven tons of wood chippings which were spread along the path around Hall Field. These nearly covered the whole area and we hope to have completed the rest of the path by the time you read this. The January working party met on 17^th (instead of the 10^th) because of the weather conditions and continued the winter work, as well as checking on the bird boxes ready for nesting time.

The Rushcliffe tree warden has looked at the three large ash trees along the Bateman Road area and has decided that they need a lot of remedial work. The trees will not be felled but they will have a lot of large branches removed, their height reduced by about three metres and their crowns cleaned.

2025 December

On December 3^rd a work party put in posts and wire along the Bateman Road border. This group of volunteers had fun rescuing two field gates and adding them to the ditch edge. These gates are part of the park’s history so some upcycling was brought into action. Our stalwart volunteers from British Gypsum worked on a section of hedging in the Arboretum area on Wednesday 10^th December. On December 10^th two of our members attended the award ceremony for the Rushcliffe Environmental Award for 2025 for which we were nominated. The winner was Simon Lane from Hickling who works as a tree warden and we were runners up. Just to be nominated gives all of us a sense of satisfaction. Saturday December 13th was the final scheduled work party of the year and much was achieved. Work was continued on the Bateman Field border. The dead hedge along the ditch was completed with ‘brash’ from previous work incorporated into it. Blackthorn was once again attacked in various parts of the park and the usual litter pick took place.

2025 November

On Saturday 8^th November many volunteers turned up to clear blackthorn from the edges of the fields. Blackthorn has grown into our wild flower meadows particularly in Bateman Field and Little Meadow and needed cutting back. Preliminary work had already been undertaken by ad hoc groups meeting in the week to put in the posts needed for the dead hedge Those working on this were well prepared with suitable heavy duty, long gloves and sharp tools. Other tasks included tidying up the shrubbery, light pruning and the usual litter pick.

Meadow Park has been shortlisted for the Environment Award at the Celebrating Rushcliffe Awards in recognition of the good work undertaken by the group. A photographer came along to the Saturday work party and videoed the work party with our chairman Kevin explaining what we were doing. The photographer edited the footage and a short video (approx. 45 seconds) was made. This will be shown on the evening of the award ceremony in December along with the other contenders. We are delighted just to be shortlisted and will let you know the outcome.

Our AGM on Wednesday 12^th November was very successful with a number of reports on wild flowers, birds in the park, work parties, management of the grasslands etc. being given. Notably we have clocked up over a thousand volunteer hours in the last year – a first for us and a creditable achievement. The committee would like to give a big thank you to all those who help in the park. We know that many people come to the park to work on their own projects like litter picking or removing crab apples from paths and their hours are not recorded. Many, many people contribute and we are very grateful.

An overview of what we achieved in 2025.

We held our AGM in November 2025 and below is a summary of the reports:

Chairman’s Report, Kevin Gibbons:
The floods In January damaged the paths and washed away some of our paths and dead hedges and we need to consider how we construct the paths in the future. Andy and Conrad have worked on conservation aspects, Kevin Robotham has taken on the task of email communications with members. Diana will be putting information in the notice boards of what to see in the park at different times of the year. Mary and Diana have continued their good work in producing leaflets with the latest being on birds in the park and they have updated the membership form.

There was a summer walk in July with Gordon Dyne (Wildlife Trust), myself and Sarah Postlethwaite providing commentary. Outreach events include Meet Your Village and the Carnival. The hay cut was in July, the hedge flailing in September and the green climber cleared scrub in October. We were also runners up in the Rushcliffe Environment Award (won by Simon Lane, tree warden from Hickling).

Future plans include working along the old trackway that runs north to south between Oak Meadow and Bateman Field; under planting hedges; creating another ‘bee-world’; planting/seeding more wild flowers. Our big challenge is to deal with the sewerage work when a pipe will be taken through Meadow Park from the pumping station on Gotham Road to the West Leake Road treatment works.

Treasurer’s Report: Andy Denker

Membership subscriptions have remained similar to last year with £686 from subscriptions and £696 in donations. David Wilson Homes donated £133 for the purchase of limestone chippings for the limestone bank project. Expenditure for the year was £1,579.84 and we bought hard hats, gloves, bow saws, loppers, paid for hedge flailing and the printing of leaflets. We now have a balance of £1558.17

Arboretum: Andy Denker

This has been another year of stressful situations for the Arboretum and all areas of the Park and generally with the early floods, then several months of little rain and high temperatures. All the new trees have coped well in these conditions. The small group of Elms have been reduced in height to see if they will survive Dutch elm disease have continued to stay healthy and will be kept at this height. The annual cull of the poplar sucker growth was again completed. The September storm damaged one of our best trees – the wild service tree near to the Bateman Road gate. The branches have been removed and used for dead hedging in the nearby copse. The tree, looking a bit lopsided, will be left in this state.

Stonebridge border: Andy Denker
The new planting of various trees in the Stonebridge border near Gotham Road has been successful despite the dry summer. There appears to be the loss of one rowan, with one broken but still growing. The fruit trees look healthy with the plum tree to replace the fiesta apple still to be planted. Unfortunately the two alders which we have planted nearer to Kingston Brook have both died. It seems we are doomed to failure with alder in the park with all plantings.

Forest School: Andy Denker
Over the last year both Lantern Lane (Mondays) and Brookside (Tuesdays) primary schools have continued their regular Forest School sessions in the area of the ‘log circle’. We provide materials for den building etc. Unfortunately the posts which support the tarpaulin were damaged and we are currently considering the various options. Nearby trees and the remains of the posts can still be used to support a waterproof sheet for the children to eat lunch under.

Work Parties: Andy Denker
Regular work parties, he main one on the second Saturday in the month and many ad hoc have continued throughout the year with additional contributions from British Gypsum volunteers who, as part of their company’s community scheme, have enabled them to increase their hours (to 76) in the park. They now come along once a month and do some much needed hard, heavy work on their visits. Steve Jones has done a survey of birds on a weekly basis; monitoring of nest boxes; butterfly surveys; flower surveys, seeding/planting flowers; coppicing and dead hedging; removing Himalayan balsam, dock and ragwort; helping with the green climber’s visit, the hay cut and the flailing of the hedges; liaising with Forest School all adding to volunteer hours. Scheduled total hours worked: 347.25. Unscheduled hours worked 654.75. Overall total 1002 hours.

Wild Flowers, Gwen Mountain:
2025 started off very wet with the severe flooding in Meadow Park. This was followed by some very cold nights then a very short spring when temperatures soared. This had an impact on the flowers with early flowering plants being delayed in flowering and the later ones having a short flowering spell as the high temperatures caused flowers to die back quickly. 112 species have been sighted to date. Sadly the previous year's seedings did not in the main put in an appearance. This year the pyramidal orchid was spotted for the first time. It generally grows on chalk grassland, coastal regions, scrub, roadside verges, old quarries and railway embankments. It flowers in June and July. There have now been 159 species sighted since Meadow Park was first established.

Butterflies: Brian Johnstone
2025 gave us the sunniest Spring and hottest Summer on record, this providing good conditions for butterflies - a complete contrast to 2024’s record breaking lows. With this excellent weather 35 transects were carried out from the beginning of April through to mid-September. All of the 21 regular species of butterflies in ELMP were recorded, plus one new visitor - the purple hairstreak in July (making 22). With oak trees being this caterpillar’s food source. The purple hairstreak is not easy to observe as it spends 95% of its time in the canopy of trees (mainly oak and ash) feeding on aphid honeydew. Other good news is that the second broods of the common blue, brown argus and small copper doing exceptionally well with good numbers of all three in August. The timing of the hay cut needs to be considered with the possibility of restricting the cut in certain areas such as Little Meadow and the butterfly bank area.

Butterflies, Moths and Bee Worlds: Kev Gibbons
I would just like to add that this year we extended the butterfly bank, and refreshed the bee worlds with new seeding in the spring and some plug planting. We will continue to plant dog violets all over the park, and hope to attract some fritillary butterflies (one day!) We have a number of dusk flying scarlet tiger moths in the park for the first time this year, and they are utilising the green alkanet plants (the caterpillar food plant) along the south side of the Arboretum, so hopefully we will see them again next year!

Bird Report, Steve Jones:

On regular visit to the park I see around 15 different species of birds, seen in the park, flying above or in the vicinity of the park. The total number of species for 2025 is 43. I have also recorded the locations of the sightings which show that some species are quite localised with most productive areas being Hall Field and the railway embankment. I use the Merlin Bird ID App which identifies the bird song but do not count the bird in the survey until I have spotted it. House sparrows are seen in the vicinity of the park, gold crest are hard to spot but in the early months of the year were seen in the conifers at the east side of the Arboretum. Kingston Brook sighting include kingfisher, little egret and mallard. The bird count includes starling, jackdaw often flying overhead, chiffchaff and blackcap mostly in the summer ,a brief appearance of willow warbler in April, redwing in winter and then again in October. Spotted once was a marsh tit. Also of interest is treecreeper and grey wagtail.

Leaflets and Website Report, Diana Jones
In summer Mary and I produced two wild bird leaflets, each leaflet including 24 species of birds that can be found in Meadow Park. There is a QR code beside each bird image, taking the user to the RSPB website, where they can read further information about that particular bird and hear its song. Andrew Sandford had the idea of making all the nature leaflets more mobile-friendly for people to download and use around the park. So there are now two links for all the leaflets, the original downloadable version to print plus the mobile friendly ones. The general Meadow Park information leaflet and form have been redesigned. The map has been altered and enlarged so it is easier to read. These have been printed and distributed around the village. The Meadow Park website has been updated (with the help of John Ollivere) and is now clearer and easier to use.

Thank you to the FOMP – Paul Phillips
Paul thanked the Friends of Meadow Park for their efforts in managing the site and said that the improvement of the site over the years was amazing.

2025 October

On Tuesday 7^th October the Green Climber with its operator spent a whole day in the park clearing blackthorn, brambles and dogwood. RBC funded the use of the green climber through the Notts Wildlife Trust who contact their various reserves and other community parks offering the use of the flail machine with its operator. The flail is a long range remote controlled, steep terrain mower which is fitted with a high performance flail as standard, for use on roadside/overgrown areas. As the operator is not on the machine it can go into steep or uncomfortable areas i.e. mixed scrub/bramble/blackthorn.

On Saturday 11^th October around twenty volunteers turned up for a morning of work in the park. There was much to do, especially tidying up after the visit of the Green Climber the previous Tuesday. In Hall Field rakes were used to uncover the ground and thus enable the orchids to thrive next year. This was hard, heavy work. Another task, also hard work, was to barrow loads of limestone grit away from the store in Sculpture Ally and use it to fill in paths and restore the butterfly bank in Play Field. The other bag of limestone chipping, near the Burrows entrance was also used in the park. Volunteers came along with their own wheelbarrows to help in this task. The lighter work included the usual litter pick, some cutting back of overhanging branches/brambles and some work in the shrub border near the mill stone sculpture. Also the Jubilee Oak has had a new plaque fitted.

In the next few weeks we will be working on the cut back of blackthorn growth in the Bateman field east border. Hedge laying and general maintenance will be ongoing. We will also be sorting out what to do with the wild service tree near the Bateman Road entrance which was severely damaged in the high winds in early September. We think that pollarding it may encourage regrowth – watch this space. Lastly some of the trees along the edge of Stonebridge Field (near Gotham Road) have not survived the dry summer. These will be replaced in due course.

A lot of ground was covered by the green climber:

North of Kingston Brook:

The side of the Burrows entrance.
The top North West path.
Hall Field.
Bramble area (butterfly bank area).
The path from Burrows through the trees to Little Meadow.
Little Meadow (most margins)
Around Stonebridge copse (lots of Blackthorn sucker growth there).

South of Kingston Brook:

Half of the margin below the train embankment in Gibson’s Field.
Around the copse in Bateman Field.
Oak Meadow South and West areas.
Bateman Field East side.
The top of the Arboretum.

Up to eight volunteers were on safety guard duty from 9am to just after 4pm.

On Wednesday 8^th October the wonderful volunteers from British Gypsum worked on hedge laying in the Arboretum copse on their once a month visit to the park.

This impressive flail machine funded by RBC through the Notts Wildlife Trust who contacted their various reserves and other community parks offering the use of the green climber with its operator. This long range remote controlled, steep terrain mower is fitted with a high performance flail as standard, for use on roadside/overgrown areas. Other work on 13^th September included tidying up the layed hedge in Stonebridge copse and a survey of Little Meadow to assess the winter work required in that area. Some dead hedging, work in the Arboretum and along the path near Hall Field.

Volunteers from British Gypsum continue to work once a month in the park. They make a real difference in their mid-week sessions, often doing some of the harder lifting and sorting that our more mature volunteers would find difficult. The village is very fortunate to have Meadow Park and its wonderful volunteers.

2025 August

The work party on Saturday 9^th August got a lot done. They split into several groups, each with a specific task. One group worked on the Bateman Field border, another repaired the fence around the Jubilee oak then treated the fence with preservative before fixing a new plaque. Another group worked in the Forest School area, pruned back some branches and undergrowth then removed the remains of the damaged post which had been used for the tarpaulin covering the area whilst the children ate their lunch. The usual litter pick was undertaken.

As the winter work planned for later this year is going to be extensive it is likely that the Saturday work parties will be increased to two a month so if you would like to be part of this please contact us (via our web pages on the village website or just turn up). You do not have to be a Friend of Meadow Park to join in the work parties. The winter work consists of hedge laying and maintenance and some work to the trees in the park. We are extremely grateful to the many villagers who give their time as and when available to do an occasional litter pick in the park. It really helps maintain the appearance and ambiance of Meadow Park.

On 24^th August Kevin Gibbons and Brian Johnson walked round the park and were extremely pleased to see at least ten each of small copper, southern brown argus and common blues in the uncut areas, i.e. Stonebridge Field, Lagoon Field and the butterfly bank.

2025 July

The RBC tree officer checked for ash dieback in the park. He has to do this as a matter of course to ensure no tree is a hazard and therefore in need of removing. It is best to wait until mid-June onwards to see any definite signs, which are usually more visible in late summer, once the foliage has matured. Committee member Neil Hunter has monitored the spread of ash dieback in the park over the last twelve years, noting it mainly affects the smaller saplings. Some trees have the ability to recover from the fungal attack, which seems to vary in its severity depending on the vagaries of the weather conditions in any particular year. Neil noted that in general, most of the larger trees in woodlands and hedgerows across much of the Midlands are still alright, as compared to badly hit areas of the country like the Mendips, Cotswolds and parts of the Peak district. In Meadow Park most trees were found to be fine, with only a handful needing further attention or felling.

On 9^th July Gordon Dyne, chair of the Wild Life Trust, Rushcliffe local Members Group led 42 people on a walk in Meadow Park assisted by Kevin Gibbons and Sarah Postlethwaite.

Trees, flowers, grasses and butterflies and their interdependence explained. An example is goat willow, better known as pussy willow is a food source for several types of caterpillar including the purple emperor which has been spotted in Bunny Woods and may be attracted to Meadow Park. Certain species of trees and shrubs have been planted, for example rowan and rose with the specific aim of attracting fieldfares and redwings on their migration from Scandinavia. The flower count has increased year on year with some plantings to encourage the spread. Cowslips, yellow rattle and cranesbill to name but a few have been seeded/planted over the years and spread. Grasses were identified (e.g. quaking grass and rye grass). As a result of a number of identifications Meadow Park has been designated a Local Wild Life Site, recognised by the national Policy Planning Framework (NPPF) which gives some protection from being developed. The citation states Meadow Park is an ‘amenity with areas of relict grassland’. We have a good variety of butterflies spotted in the park and the railway provides a green corridor for wild life from Ruddington Country Park to Loughborough Big Meadow. Currently the grizzled skipper project is managing the line to provide habitat for this small, rare butterfly. Ours is one of the most northerly locations of the grizzled skipper. Working parties clear the embankment to keep an open aspect (also important for the trains) and put down ballast chippings. The chippings keep a good temperature and are not overgrown, just the sort of habitat the grizzled skipper needs.

Hay Cut 17^th July

The timing of the hay cut is very important and weather dependant to a large extent. The flowers need to have set their seed before the grass is mown. This year the weather has been hot and sunny which means the hay was on 17th July. Sometimes the hay cut is best done in August. We have a policy regarding this process, choosing not to cut every field each year. One is always left on rotational basis for invertebrates and the hay is removed rather than left as a ‘thatch’. It is quite easy to see the old ridge and furrow pattern of ploughing before the cut with pignut and greater burnet in the bottom of the furrow.

On 9^th July BG volunteers removed the poplars and blackthorn from the Arboretum before the planned hay cut. The July work morning was 19^th July which was warm with light rain. The work carried out involved the removal of scrub around the Centennial Oak in Oak Meadow opening up the area to give the tree some space to grow and repair any damage to the fence around the trunk, a tidy up of the sculpture border cutting back scrubs as necessary and a litter pick of areas in Lagoon Field and Forest School.

2025 June

The working morning on Saturday 13^th June was very well attended and much was achieved. Vegetation overhanging pathways was cut back and cleared away, with hedge bottoms being cleared where possible. The willow arch at the Bateman Road entrance was pruned and the shrubbery weeded. The Forest School area was tidied up. The trees planted along the boundary of Stonebridge field and the road have been inspected seems to be holding their own, despite some very dry spells. Watering them is impossible so we can only hope they will survive/thrive in the future. We had a stall at the Carnival 28^th June and signed up some new members as well as publicising the work we do in Meadow Park.

2025 May

The work morning on Saturday 10^th May saw volunteers striding through the Kingston and Sheepwash brooks. At this time of year the water levels are usually fairly low and this gives us a chance to walk along both brooks to remove any litter or debris that is there and also remove a minimum of low hanging branches in the Kingston brook that can act as obstructions. We took care not to interfere with the flight path of our regular kingfisher.

Volunteers put on waders and wellies to complete this task. They found a lot of debris/rubbish and significantly a discarded bike in a difficult place to get at but it was eventually pulled out of the brook. The usual litter pick was undertaken. Martin Spratling, from Martin Tree Care, kindly dropped off a load of chippings for us to use in the park and more have been distributed in the Forest School area.

2025 April

We have been very fortunate in having several loads of tree chippings donated by Aart de Groot and Broadleaf Midlands Tree Care. These two companies have enabled us to repair/upgrade paths in several areas of the park, especially in those parts prone to dips and uneven surfaces which often remain muddy in shaded areas and make it difficult for walkers.

The work morning on Saturday 12^th April had more to deal with than anticipated. The winter work ended in late March as the birds started nesting so no more hedge cutting/work will be carried out for a while now. There was a lot of tidying up to do, especially after the hedge cut. Some had already been done, but Nixon Walk and the Stonebridge copses were still to do. The work in these areas was completed. However, there was a lot of litter to be picked up, especially round the Forest School area. Broken bottles and cans were gathered up and we hope that this scale of litter is a one off. No doubt the better weather drew youngsters out on an evening.

On Friday 14^th February a group of eight children from Lantern Lane Primary School planted foxgloves and ox-eye daisies in various parts of Stonebridge copse. The children, teachers and other volunteers had a very enjoyable time. The children particularly liked seeing and holding the worms. The pupils were given leaflets about flowers and butterflies to see in the park. The bird box team sussed out where to put the new bird boxes and then placed them accordingly.

On 19^th February Aart De Groot gave us some wood chippings. He delivered them to the Bateman Road entrance and a small group of volunteers wheelbarrowed them to the Forest School circle and various footpaths that had uneven surfaces or were muddy. We are extremely grateful to William of Aart De Groot for the kind donation. The pupils are delighted with their new ‘carpet’.

2025 January

The flooding of the village on 6th January saw the highest water level ever recorded in Meadow Park with flooding just beyond the Bateman Road gate.

Happily for the trees in the Arboretum the flood water subsided fairly quickly and therefore roots were no submerged for too long. However the work party on Saturday 11^th January (working in very cold conditions) spent quite a lot of time gathering up the litter that had washed along the Bateman Road boundary (as well as other places). Many cans, bottles and cartons were retrieved. Sadly some sewerage was mixed in the flood water and it takes a few days for this to be neutralised so if you are a dog walker please be aware of the impact flooding will have on the park and keep your dog safe. Some minor repairs were carried out on paths that had been washed away by the flood water. Limestone gravel has been used to fill in dips and holes.

James Naish, our MP has been informed about the overflow from the pumping station but we know that it is unlikely that anything will be done in the park re pipe laying until the West Leake Road site has been completed and this is a huge job still very much a work in progress. Jason Billin our Parish Councillor is also in direct contact with Severn Trent and managed to get them to raise the overflow to 18” (rather than 12”) in early January.

Other work carried out in January (over a number of days and a variety of work parties) included pruning the copses north of Hall Field, pruning back the blackthorn near the outdoor gym and along the Play Field boundary, checking bird boxes ready for nesting. We have nearly 50 boxes and all are used. We have enough funds to buy ten more and these have been ordered.

James Naish, our MP has been informed about the overflow from the pumping station but we know that it is unlikely that anything will be done in the park re pipe laying until the West Leake Road site has been completed and this is a huge job still very much a work in progress. Jason Billin our Parish Councillor is also in direct contact with Severn Trent and managed to get them to raise the overflow to 18” (rather than 12”) in early January.

An overview of what we achieved in 2024: Our AGM reports
In November 2024 r we held our AGM with the usual series of report being presented:

Chairman’s Report, Kevin Gibbons:
Our volunteers have worked hard over the year and much has been achieved. Our aim is to increase the natural biodiversity by ensuring we have the right habitat management, grass cutting and planting regimes. We now leave an increasing amount of long grass areas in the park to allow insects and small mammals to survive the winter. Hedges have been layed, fences repaired, benches renovated, bat and bird boxes placed, scrub and trees managed and invasive species controlled. We work with local school children and additional volunteers from British Gypsum. We were designated as a ‘Local Wildlife Site’ this year. Projects for 2025 include creating another ‘bee world’, wildflower planting, coppicing and managing overgrown areas. The Green Climber was used again in the autumn. Kerry Bently has recently started helping us with marketing, giving her time and expertise free.

Secretary’s Report, Kevin Gibbons:
Membership is currently 255. We attended the ‘Meet Your village’ event and the Carnival. We are grateful that our MP, James Naish, is liaising with us with regards to the Severn Trent development.

Treasurer’s Report, Andy Denker:
Membership subscriptions and donations have increased slightly. Path repairs have been funded by our Parish Council and British Gypsum. Tools, equipment, seeds and bulbs have been bought.

Forest School, Andy Denker:
Lantern Lane school uses the log circle on Mondays and Brookside on Tuesdays in term time. We provide materials, for example for den building and willow weaving, as and when required.

Arboretum and Stonebridge border, Andy Denker:
All trees are doing well, with the exception of the rowan. Remedial work in pruning the suckers from the poplar trees will be done over winter. The new line of trees planted along the Stonebridge border are mostly doing well, with only one casualty despite the dry, hot period in summer.

Work Parties, Andy Denker:
A major thank you to our volunteers who work on a regular basis every second Saturday in the month and in smaller groups on an ad hoc basis. The total number of hours worked to the end of October was 725 which rose to nearly 800 hours by the end of December.

Wild Flowers, Gwen Mountain:
124 species of flowers have been recorded in Meadow Park from December 2023 to the end of October 2024. Cowslips and meadow cranesbill continue to spread across the park. The green-winged orchid was recorded for the first time. This short plant (7 – 15 cms) normally grows in unimproved grassland and flowers in May/June. The two wild flower leaflets produced by Diana Jones and Mary Mays have stimulated lot of interest. Since we started keeping records 159 different species have been recorded in Meadow Park.

Butterflies and moths, Brian Johnson:
Sadly 2024 was a very disappointing year for butterflies both locally and nationally. Having monitored butterflies for over 15 years this year is the lowest sightings for the majority of the 21 species we have in the park. Due to a very wet spring and a dull and wet summer most species of butterflies succumbed to these conditions.

Bird Report, Steve Jones:
Steve started recording in July. A total of 23 species were recorded by November with the high spots being the little egret (Heron Bridge, 27/08/2024) and the green woodpecker (Hall Field, 29/10/2024). Buzzard and red kite have been seen on a regular basis flying over the park, but no landings are recorded.

Paul Phillips thanked the committee and volunteers for their work on behalf of RBC.

Maintenance of pathways in the park

Early in 2024 Friends of Meadow Park applied to British Gypsum’s Community Projects for a donation of £2,000 to assist in the upkeep of the park, contributing to the improvement of vital paths that had suffered significant damage in the aftermath of the 2019 floods and the greater footfall during Covid. East Leake Parish Council contributed most of the money for the project (£8,000). The repair project, costing around £10,000 in total, involved scraping the existing surface, increasing the width to 1.2 metres and adding Type 2 limestone gravel to enhance the height. The paths were then top dressed to create a durable surface. Sadly there had been further flooding since this work and some damage has been done. We are considering how best to deal with the problem of flooding in the future.

Severn Trent pipeline through Meadow Park

On 16th February 2024 Alan Barlow attended a meeting with representatives from STWB, a rep from Fisher German (the land agent overseeing the work), Chris Garbett ELPC, the EL Parish Clerk and EL groundsman and learned that the pumps at Gotham Road pumping station will be replaced to increase the flow handling capacity. A new pipe will be placed parallel to the existing pipe which will remain in situ and used as a ‘back up’ pipe for removal of waste water, being flushed through on a regular basis to keep it operational. The new pipe will be made of a plastic material (the old one is of metal) and will be able to withstand greater pressure and therefore able to pump at double the rate of the existing pipe. The diameter of the new pipe will be 355mm (the diameter of the existing pipe is 255mm). The pipe will be 4m below ground and at least 1.4m below the water course of Sheepwash Brook. Land drains should not be affected at this depth. Work is behind schedule at the moment because work on the West Leake road facility was delayed. Consequently we think work in the park will come when flowers are in bloom and not in the winter months.

September & October 2024

Once again RBC funded the use of a flail machine on Friday 13th September. RBC did this through the Notts Wildlife Trust who contacted their various reserves and other community parks offering the use of the flail machine with its operator. The Green Climber is a remote controlled, steep terrain mower which is fitted with a high performance flail, for use on roadside/overgrown areas. As the operator is not on the machine it can go into steep or uncomfortable areas i.e. mixed scrub/bramble/blackthorn. Hall Field was very overgrown and some firebreaks needed attention. The resulting wood was turned into chipping which were used in other places in the park. Another task that had to be undertaken was the repair of the Forest School tarpaulin pole which vandals had pulled down. Some of the benches were also strengthened.

August 2024

The meadows were cut on Thursday 1^st August, turned the next day and baled on Monday 5^th August. The weather was perfect for the process and a good hay crop was harvested.

The usual summer round of tasks took place in August, with the working morning on 10^th August dedicated to strengthening the willow structure by the Bateman Road entrance and the cutting back of overhanging branches/brambles. This year has been very good for brambles and elderberries so there will be a good food store for the birds in autumn.

Part of the Hall Field path was particularly overgrown and needed more attention. You may have noticed the shrubbery is gradually becoming tamed with the persistent ground elder kept in check. Our plan is to plant ground cover species which will remain year round and hopefully keep the rank weeds down.

On a sadder note our litter pickers worked hard to pick up broken fluorescent tubes under the railway tunnel. Two bags of debris were retrieved; some very fine glass was in this. It was impossible to gather all the broken glass up as it was/is hidden in the loose dirt path. This could be a hazard for dogs so dog walkers beware. A visitor to the park saw youngish children (years 7 to 9) breaking the tubes and they stopped and ran away when he spoke to them. Local schools have been informed.

Since our very beginnings in 2002 we have managed the grassland to support wildlife; more varied grassland with a range of shorter and longer grass across the six fields, reducing the total area of closely mown grass, and making some more meadow-like areas with longer grass. A range of short and longer grass is better for wildlife, and wildflowers can be encouraged to grow and seed in the grass by mowing later in the year. Removing longer grass cuttings stops plants being smothered and soils becoming too nutrient-rich. It removes nutrients, lowers soil fertility, and prevents a ‘thatch’ of dead grass developing.

Arboretum report: Andy Denker

It doesn't seem possible but the original 33 trees were planted in the Arboretum area in late 2010 early 2011. They got off to a very hard start as there was a drought in mid-2011 where volunteers from the FOMP put in over 400 hours watering to keep the new trees alive, unfortunately with 3 needing to be replaced and then the reverse of this was the floods of 2012.

We have learnt over the following years that certain trees do not like a particular situation, this was particularly the case with the Alder and Downy Birch, and also any replacement trees are now when possible pot grown and not bare root.

The majority of trees up to 2021 have continued to grow and appeared to be in a healthy state, unfortunately due to a combination of factors heat / drought / flood, over a short period of time 7 more trees were lost - WILD PLUM, WILD CHERRY[In copse adjacent to Bateman Road gate], SWEET CHESTNUT, DOWNY BIRCH, YEW, JUNIPER and ALDER. In the case of the Wild Cherry another one died in a copse just adj to the Arboretum very close to the other one.

The Wild Plum was replaced by a donated Horse Chestnut, a new SWEET CHESTNUT was placed in the Downy Birch spot, a WILD PEAR was planted in the Alder spot and a new DOWNY BIRCH was added to a new spot near the SCOTS PINE. A new JUNIPER was planted in the same spot and a YEW was planted between the FIR and LARCH, a WILD CHERRY was placed in the old Yew spot and a second BEECH has been placed above the Hornbeam.

The new ALDER was planted away from the Arboretum in Oak Meadow where hopefully the soil would remain moist as they prefer damp conditions, unfortunately this has again died so a further planting of two trees have been placed in Stonebridge Field close to Kingston Brook.

The LARCH has been showing signs of stress over the last two years but now appears to be recovering and the ELMS are still succumbing to elm disease as they grow taller

A further 6 floods have occurred from November 2023 through spring of 2024 but fortunately there doesn't appear to be any further damage.

We are now a Local Wild Life Site

In May this year Meadow Park was designated a ‘Local Wildlife Site’. Local Wildlife sites are recognised in the National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF), which gives them some protection from being developed. A local ecologist organised the work needed to establish the criteria. The citation states Meadow Park is an ‘amenity park with areas of relict grassland’. Basically it is a remnant lowland meadow, a priority habitat under the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).

Severn Trent pipeline through Meadow Park Update

Severn Trent Water Authority is in the process of upgrading waste water provision for East Leake, Willoughby-on-the-Wolds and Wysall. On 16^th February, Alan Barlow, a FoMP committee member attended a meeting with representatives from STWB, a rep from Fisher German (the land agents overseeing the work), Chris Garbett ELPC, EL Parish Clerk, and EL groundsman to find out about the proposed work and its impact on Meadow Park. The pumps at Gotham Road pumping station will be replaced to increase the flow handling capacity. In autumn this year work will start on laying a new pipe from the Gotham Road pumping station to the water treatment facility on West Leake Road, which is currently being enlarged and upgraded. The new pipe will be placed parallel to the existing pipe which will remain in situ and used as a ‘back up’ pipe for removal of waste water, being flushed through on a regular basis to keep it operational. The new pipe will be made of a plastic material (the old one is of metal) and will be able to withstand greater pressure and therefore able to pump at double the rate of the existing pipe. The diameter of the new pipe will be 355mm (the diameter of the existing pipe is 255mm). The pipe will be 4m below ground and at least 1.4m below the water course of Sheepwash Brook. Land drains should not be affected at this depth. The work site/conduit will be 15-20m wide and enclosed with Heras fencing. Top soil/spoil will be taken off site.

More recently three bore holes have been dug in the park, one by the railway tunnel, one near Stone Bridge and one in the playing field area. Each bore hole will remain in place for about twelve weeks and be fenced off.

July 2024

July was a very busy month for Friends of Meadow Park. Work continued on the shrubbery and all paths were made clear of brambles and blackthorn. The Bateman Road path and the Hall Field circuit were particularly time consuming. Some of the trees in the Arboretum had growth around their base and this needed cutting to ensure the trees stay sturdy. The tree poppers recently acquired came into good use in removing suckers growing around the poplar trees and in the copses. The willow tunnel near the Bateman Road entrance was pruned and shaped.

May 2024

We had a very busy morning on Saturday 11th May. The tasks included fence repairs adjacent to the Bateman Road gate and the fitting of post and iron work for restraining the gate. A donated bat box was fitted to a suitable tree near the gate and some remedial work was carried out in the Arboretum. The willow tunnel was pruned and additional lengths of willow woven in to strengthen the structure. A separate group of five worked on the shrubbery, particularly focused of digging up the invasive ground elder. Altogether it proved to be a successful morning. Later in May ad hoc work parties replaced the gravel under various seats, started renovating the metal benches, checked the trees in the Arboretum and continued work on fences and hedges.

We are now a Local Wild Life Site May 2024

In May this year Meadow Park was designated a ‘Local Wildlife Site’. Local Wildlife sites are recognised in the National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF), which gives them some protection from being developed. A local ecologist organised the work needed to establish the criteria. The citation states Meadow Park is an ‘amenity park with areas of relict grassland’. Basically it is a remnant lowland meadow, a priority habitat under the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).

Maintenance of pathways in the park January & February 2024

Friends of Meadow Park applied to British Gypsum’s Community Projects for a donation of £2,000 to assist in the upkeep of the park, contributing to the improvement of vital paths that had suffered significant damage in the aftermath of the 2019 floods and the greater footfall during Covid. East Leake Parish Council contributed most of the money for the project (£8,000). The repair project, costing around £10,000 in total, involved scraping the existing surface, increasing the width to 1.2 metres and adding Type 2 limestone gravel to enhance the height. The paths were then top dressed to create a durable surface. Sadly there had been further flooding since this work and some damage has been done. We are considering how best to deal with the problem of flooding in the future.

On Friday February 23^rd children from Lantern Lane planted ten primroses, ten honeysuckle, two foxgloves and some dog violets in the Stonebridge copses. Kevin Gibbons organised the plants and Lisa Kandola led the children in the planting of them. Lantern Lane had a ‘kindness day’ and visited local businesses/organisations to say thank you and to chat with people running them. Meadow Park was one of the visits they scheduled, hence the planting session. They also gave out thank you cards. Year on year the park gets more colourful with a variety of flowers, shrubs and grasses growing in greater quantity.

Lastly, we need to thank our dedicated litter pickers. You would be amazed at what they find!

February 2024

As the weather for the scheduled work party in February looked pretty grim we moved the day to the first Saturday (3^rd) and we had a lovely day with warmish sunshine as work on the two Stonebridge copses continued. If you have time to take a look you will see some extension to the dead hedging and further clearing of low growing trees/shrubs. The hedging will created a barrier for dogs and allow small mammals to be better protected. The opening up of the area will allow more light to get in and ground cover plants, as well as snowdrops and bluebells to thrive.

This is a photo of Andy Kemp (Feb 3^rd) using our new ‘tree popper’ which is an implement to uproot saplings that are growing in the wrong place or too close together or to tackle deep rooted, strong stemmed weeds. We bought it with donations and it has really been a boon to our planned work. We are thinking of buying another as it is so useful.

January 2024

The first scheduled working party of 2024 was on January 13^th and work continued on the two Stonebridge copses, removing blackthorn re-growth and generally tidying up the two areas. It was a cold day but a good number of volunteers turned up for the work.

On 31^st January we had the use of a mechanised strimmer to cut back the scrub and some sections of hedgerow and volunteers helped remove and re-site the resulting debris. The aim was to ensure pathways are clear for walkers and that boundaries are kept in check.

Summary of our AGM held in November 2023

In November we held our annual AGM with the usual series of reports being presented.

Chairman Kevin Gibbons noted what a busy year it had been for Meadow Park. The three-yearly Management Plan was reviewed and updated with RBC and ELPC. The main changes were to the grass cutting regimes so that alongside the annual hay cut the Arboretum and Stonebridge Field will remain uncut on alternate years. The Green Climber was used in the park for a full day in October to tackle the encroaching scrub in selected areas such as Hall Field, the boundary with The Burrows and parts of Stonebridge Field. The butterfly leaflet produced by Diana Jones and Mary Mays has been very well received. New signs have been funded by RBC. Challenges for 2024 include the work that will be undertaken in the park to facilitate the new pumping station. Some funding will be provided to Meadow Park and we will spend it wisely.

Andy Denker, Treasurer, noted some generous gifts to the park. Lantern Lane School gave £100 towards the updating of the log circle and British Gypsum gave £2,000 towards the maintenance of the pathways and a further £200 to the Strollers so that leaders could be trained and insured.

Arboretum report by Andy Denker: Three trees (sweet chestnut, downy birch and wild pear) donated by Shirley Fox have been planted in the arboretum. Sadly the alder died but the other trees are doing well, helped by the wet summer. The grass in the Arboretum was cut in late September and will be cut biannually.

Forest School goes from strength to strength. The silver birch planted by Year 6 near their work area is doing well. Volunteers source materials for den building, willow weaving etc and the children are delighted with the new log circle.

The hours worked by volunteers reached a record high with over 800 hours recorded in both scheduled and unscheduled work parties. Jobs in the park are varied from the heavier tree planting and hedge laying to the lighter planting of bulbs and sowing seeds – there is something for everyone to turn their hand to.

Wild Flowers are monitored by Gwen Mountain. She counted 119 different species in 2023 with two new comers, hesperis or sweet rocket in the Play Field hedge and dark mullein growing on the butterfly bank. A further sighting of dropwort and pepper saxifrage, both relatively recent additions, was very pleasing. Gwen welcomes information from fellow park users to keep her lists up to date.

The butterfly report by Brian Johnson noted that all the regular 21 species of butterfly were recorded during their different flight periods. He took photographs on each of his 24 visits. In August we had a rare visitor to the park, the white-letter hairstreak, this was sighted and photographed by Kevin Gibbons. The speckled wood has increased in numbers and can be seen in many areas of the park, it thrives in partially shaded areas where dappled sunlight can break through trees. There are now many such areas in the park which allows this, where tree branches have been cut back, and passages widened. The holly blues, common blues and the meadow butterflies have also done well, whereas the small tortoiseshell and peacock not so. In terms of moths, we saw the day flying chimney sweep moths and six spot burnet moths in reasonable numbers. The later hay cut this year certainly gave the relevant wildlife a boost.

Meadow Park Strollers, led by Anne Rippon, reported a healthy number of people turning up for a stroll of about half an hour and a coffee afterwards. A longer walk is often available which takes a route under the railway bridge and out onto West Leake Road. Everyone is welcome, so if you are interested turn up at the millstone sculpture at 1.30pm on Thursdays – in good weather. More information from Anne on 07913 328 971

Activity Days in 2026

Meadow Park

The Park Diary. A short account of the activities of the Friends of Meadow Park.