Apple Day – all the usual ingredients and something new

A few photos from our Apple Day this year.

      

This year we had some “Wild Weavings” on display. In previous years the seniors from W. G. Grace Centre have provided knitted strips for weaving into the tree guards but this year we took it further. As part of Lewisham’s Creative Ageing Festival “Age Against the Machine” we were able to work with artist Shane Waltener to produce these wonderful baskets. We also created a fun apple run, making the re-purposed knitted strips into a long tube to chase apples along.

 

This event is run by a great partnership – Friends of Chinbrook Meadows, ChART Big Local and the Chinbrook Community Orchard and we are very grateful to all the volunteers who give up time to help run the event.

 

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Apple Day 2019

This year’s Apple Day is on Saturday 5th October 1.30- 4pm.

We will have apple tasting, apple pressing, apple bobbing, apple and spoon races and more with live music and free refreshments.  The demonstration bee hive will be there and a chance for a scavenger hunt too. We are supported by our neighbouring community orchard group from the Chinbrook allotments and we are grateful to ChART who help us organise and fund the event. This year we have teamed up with Shane Waltener, weaver sculptor as part of Lewisham’s Festival of Creative Ageing – Age against the Machine.

 

Seniors from W.G. Grace Centre, who have contributed to our Apple Day in past years by knitting for our tree decorations, have this year been helping create for our “Wild Weavings” installation which will be on site on Apple Day. You will have a chance to have a go and also join our knitting circle

Chinbrook Work Days

We have carried out a variety of jobs each month so far this year to help conserve and improve the beauty of our park for all.

Our orchard gets attention several times a year, in February we gave it a winter prune with the help of our mentor, Alona, from the London Orchard Project

This month we managed to acquire some good logs for ChART‘s Nature Club Base Camp and moved them into position. We also cleared some overgrown paths through the brambles and did some litter picking.

 

 

 

 

 

Litter picking is always a popular task for children that join us, especially when it involves a paddle in the Quaggy

We are always keen for new volunteers to join us so come along please – sessions are usually held on the last Saturday of the month from 11-1.00.

Next one will be July 27th – no session in June as members will be attending the Marvels Lane Primary School Fair on 29th

 

Get fit and help your park

The first of our monthly conservation/clean up sessions takes place this Saturday 26th January 11am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Open to everyone but children need to be accompanied. We have the tools, you bring the people power! We do all sorts of tasks from weeding and cutting back to orchard care and litter picking.

Meet at the cafe at 11am or look out for our FOCM flag to find where we are working if you arrive a bit later. Come for the whole session 11-1pm or just drop in for a short time. We would love to see you there. If you can’t make it this time we will be back on the last Saturday of each month, same time, same place.

A Fruitful Partnership

Grove Park has two wonderful community orchards and FOCM and Chinbrook Meadows Horticultural Society have joined together on several occasions to celebrate our trees.                    

ChART is the third partner in the team. They help with; funding, planning, volunteers, expertise and all-round support. In September we had our annual Apple Day in Chinbrook Meadows – it was a rather wet day but a popular event once more with lots of heritage apples to taste and smell, delicious freshly pressed apple juice, an environmental focused art session with Miyuki Kasahara, a scavenger hunt and (new for 2018!) the apple and spoon race. Music was provided by Aaron Horlock and Nick Goode and apple themed cakes from Carol at our park cafe to go with the cup of tea. Thanks to Di from the allotments, people loved watching the bees in the demonstration hive too. Photos by Monika Chilicka, Gold Lens Photography.

          

On Saturday 5th January 2019 we took our celebrations to the Chinbrook Community Orchard set within the allotments at the top of Marvels Lane. A great turn out on a chilly day with music and dancing provided by Fowlers Molly and Wassail songs by the Grove Park Singers

          

Children helped plant a new Cox’s Orange Pippin apple tree, they made crowns and shakers for our noisy procession through the orchard, guaranteed to “wake up” the trees from their winter slumbers. While we listened to the singers the children hung cider soaked bread in the trees to offer to the robins, guardians of the apple trees. With some warm soup to help us along we had a great afternoon in an idyllic, open-sky corner of Grove Park.

 

Apple Day Saturday 22nd

Who remembers last year’s Apple Day in Chinbrook Meadows? It will soon be time for this year’s event. Bring everyone you know it’ll be another great day in Chinbrook Meadows. See you there!

Grab the chance – it’s FREE!

Fitness in the park

Jodie has been running fitness training sessions in our new outdoor gym and there are still a couple more chances to join in – Thursday 5th July 5pm and Friday 13th July 10am.

This is a great opportunity to try the equipment if you don’t really know what to do or improve your skills if you are already a keen gym user. Jodie is an excellent instructor with help for everyone, she has really helped me get back into action following a knee operation and I didn’t have much of a clue before I went along to join her sessions.

These sessions have been funded by ChART