Bampton Estate Green an Asset of Community Value

The Forest Hill Society has received confirmation that their request to recognise Bampton Estate Green as an Asset of Community Value has been successful.

Reasons for nomination:
1) The green/grass open space with trees and the ball court is used and valued by Bampton Estate residents and neighbours to play, interact with each other, for various recreational activities including family picnics.

2) The area is safe and ideal for children and families. The area is well-observed from all sides and situated well away from the road.

3) The ball court is used for sports and physical activities by local children, young people as well as adults from Bampton Estate. The resource encourages physical activity as opposed to sedentary lifestyles.

4) The space allows residents and neighbours direct exposure to nature which is beneficial to mental health and physical well-being, reducing stress and pressure from daily life.

5) The green open space allows children to be outside and play in nature, the latter are crucial in children’s health development, emotional stability and mental health.

6) The green open community space allows local people to make friends and meet neighbours.

7) The combination of several mature trees and the green grass on the estate helps keep our area fresh and cool in the summer.

8) The mature trees help to remove various pollutants from the air that negatively affect people with respiratory problems and increase mortality rates.

9) The area has its own ecosystem and provides a safe habitat for various animals, birds including bats and woodpeckers.

10) The area serves as a communal garden for Bampton Estate residents who live in flats and don't have their own private garden.

Miriam Lodge Chicken Project

This spring Miriam Lodge will be starting a community kitchen garden to produce fresh, healthy food for residents and other local project.

It will also be starting a chicken keeping project with a small brood of hens.

The Lodge is inviting local people to take part!

All levels of gardening ability and chicken keeping experience welcome!
Happily, the chickens should be arriving within the next few weeks and so perhaps if you've been thinking about having a few hens at home, why not come along and find out more?!

Please email: services@hqproperty.net
Or find out more on the Lewisham Gardens Facebook

 

Sydenham Garden Spring Fair - Saturday 11th May

Saturday 11th May, 11am-3pm.
Enter at 28a Wynell Road or Holland Drive (off Queenswood Road SE23)

• Plants, crafts, nearly new & vintage goods, home-made jams, chutneys & preserves for sale.
• Children’s activities.
• Gardening tips and seed sowing activities provided by South London Master Gardeners.
• Refreshments, & home made cakes.
• Live music.
• Wander round the nature reserve and the food-growing garden, or just sit and enjoy the refreshments! 
• Entry £1 or 50p concessions

For more information go to: http://www.sydenhamgarden.org.uk

Newsletter: More Community Gardens

The green and hilly housing estate of Windley Close in Forest Hill has recently been awarded funding to start up a community garden.

Residents came together with the idea to start a garden growing herbs, vegetables, fruit and flowers. In April they were awarded funding by Lewisham Council, Capital Growth, and are now working in partnership with their Housing Association London and Quadrant. As one resident said “Our aim is to make Windley Close a happy and healthy place to live for residents and wildlife - next year we hope to add a nature reserve”.

For advice on how to start up a community garden visit www.capitalgrowth.org - they are aiming to support 2,012 community food growing spaces by the end of 2012! For more information on the Windley Close Community Garden email us at letsgrowwindley@gmail.com

Help Tidy Up Honor Oak Park

Our friends in the Honor Oak Park Action Group are arranging a day of action this Saturday. Please join them to help improve the area around Honor Oak Park Station.

Urban Garden Party in Stanstead Road

After lots of hard work by local residents, the Stanstead Road community garden is almost ready for it's official opening. To celebrate the occasion there will be a party on Sunday 27th July, 2-5pm with a special guest appearance by local celebrity, Sarah-Jane Honeywell from CBeebies. There will be face-painting, balloon-art, stalls, games, food and drink, a tombola and guided planting sessions led by Groundwork. It's all happening outside Travis Perkins' main entrance, next to Shannons Garden Centre on Stanstead Road, SE23 1BS Sarah-Jane will unveil the plaque at 3.30pm

Bird's Eye view from Multimap showing the site prior to any work taking place.

Community Garden, coming soon...

Last year we featured a community-led project to transform an ugly brick wall on Stanstead Road (the bit that isn't part of the South Circular) into Forest Hill's latest beauty spot.

We're now delighted to hear that Rebecca Leathlean's hard work has paid off and the Garden's grand opening should be at the end of July or early August. A community artist is working with local children at the Rockbourne Youth Club to create an art work which will go on the wall itself. Other local children are working on some mosaics for the path. Travis Perkins and Shannons garden centre are supporting the project with cut price and free materials and plants.

Update 20th June: More information on the community garden can be found on Love Perry Vale.

Stanstead Road Community Garden

For a few months now a group of residents have been discussing plans to improve the area around 'Old Stanstead Road' (the bit that is not the south circular). With the support of the Forest Hill Society, and the active involvement of some of the committee members, local residents have been drawing up plans for a small community garden to improve the environment around Travis Perkins and a small plot of land.

What is particularly nice about this group is the way they plan to involve local people, from children to adults, and have been able to get the support of local businesses and Lewisham Council.

It is small scale projects such as this that help to create a sense of community and improve the surroundings for everybody in the area. We wish them the very best of luck in developing their plans for the community garden, and may what starts as a garden, blossom into even greater things!