Summer Party in Barnard Park

It was a lovely day in Barnard Park at the Summer Party on Saturday, June 17. There was music, dancing, puppets and more. Park visitors enjoyed performances by Mrs H and the Sing-along Band, Amberliegh Drummers, and Martin Avril puppets. Families picnicked on the grass in the warm weather.

The children loved bubbles and balloons. Dogs had fun at Scruffs. The community congregated in the Friends café. Homemade cakes, biscuits and sausages in a bun were on the menu. Bright Start and the Adventure Playground were also open for children and families. It was a REAL party!

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Summer Pop-up Party

The Pop-Ups are back!

We’re throwing a Summer Party in Barnard Park on Saturday, June 11 from 11am-3pm. Activities are free. Everyone is welcome.

Mrs. H and the Sing-along Band returns. Mr Bubbles will be there to make bubbles galore for the kids. Want to make friends with a beautiful big bird from Falconry UK?

There’s more. Barnard Adventure Playground will be open for families and children. Bring your dog to Scruffs for a fun dog competition and games. The Highbury Football School will hosting penalty shoot-outs and a cross-bar challenge with medals for the winners.

Come join us in the Friends Café for coffee, tea and cakes. Shana from Swash & Jones Coffee will be serving up tasty snacks too.

It will be a good time.

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Park AGM May 12 on Zoom

The Friends of Barnard Park will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday May 12 at 7:30pm. The meeting will be held on Zoom. Everyone is welcome.

There has been a significant step towards the regeneration of Barnard Park. After many years of consultation and compromise, the Council Planning Committee recently approved the application for major park improvements. Parks officials at the AGM will explain the design plan and next steps towards its construction.

For those with access to Zoom, please email us at friends@barnardpark.org saying that you would like to attend the meeting and we will send you an invitation. If access by Zoom is a problem for anyone wanting to attend the meeting, please let FoBP know and we will try to find a solution. Written questions can also be submitted to be answered.

The agenda will comprise:

1) Welcome
2) Agreeing the Minutes of the AGM Nov 2020
3) Election/re-election of committee members
4) Election/re-election of officers (Chair, Secretary, Vice Chair, Treasurer)
5) Parks Department Presentation on Barnard Park Major Improvements
6) Chair’s report on the period Nov 2020/May 2022
7) Treasurer’s Report Nov 2020/May 2022
8) Preview of FoBP Summer Party June 11
9) Gardening Report
10) Any Other Business

Nominations are open for the park committee. If you wish to stand please contact us at friends@barnardpark.org. It’s your park.

We will deal with any questions arising at the meeting. But it would help to have them in advance given that this meeting will be accessed remotely.

See you at the AGM.

Join us to find out about next steps in the park’s redevelopment

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Park Planning Application Approved

It’s been a long road. But finally a planning application for the regeneration of Barnard Park has been given the go-ahead. The application was approved by the planning committee Tuesday after midnight. There was no opposition. The application came after a marathon discussion on the development of the Holloway Prison site which lasted four hours.

The plan will transform the park. New improvements will include a 9-a-side Astroturf sports pitch, a flat grassed area for recreation, a hub building, much improved circulation with all-weather paths and biodiverse planting. The hub building will house public toilets, a park manager’s office and a community room and kitchen. This room can be used as a stay and play facility for children under five. The building will meet strict energy standards. A traditional orchard will also be planted in the park.

This is great news for the community. The question is now when will the construction start and the new park be completed? Barry Emmerson, Head of Parks, said the approval is ‘fantastic’ news. The project team is now putting together a programme and timeline for tendering and construction.  Watch this space.

When will the new park be finished?

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Spring Is Here

Need cheering up? The bright yellow of daffodils and different colours of crocus decorating the grass in Barnard Park will certainly provide a lift.

The spring border along Barnsbury Road has also come to life with white hellebore flowers and snowdrops. It’s worth keeping your eye on it as you pass by in the next few months. More flowers will be popping up like alliums with their deep purple balls of flowers.

This spring cheer is provided by park gardening volunteers. Enjoy!

Purple crocus are a spring treat

 

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Park Regeneration Progresses

Islington Council’s proposal to make much needed, major improvements in Barnard Park continues to move forward. The report on a public consultation undertaken last summer has now been made public on the Council website. It is certainly worth taking a look at the report. It includes an analysis of public responses.

The responses to the proposal were generally positive. As a result of public comment, the cobbled road near the Hemingford Road entrance will be largely spared with its historic significance detailed in a signboard. Surprisingly, the report revealed an interest in roller skating which the new paths will accommodate.

The Friends of Barnard Park generally support the plan which was the result of many years of consultation and compromise. It will result in a functional, biodiverse space which will be valuable to the community. One local flashpoint could be a 10pm closure of the football pitch included in a draft sports management plan when 9pm was the expected cut-off time in a residential neighbourhood.

The planning application for the project has already been submitted and is expected to be heard by the planning committee in the early spring. As part of the statutory process for planning applications, there will be a consultation period where views of the residents and local park users can be submitted to the local planning authority.

Planning application submitted for the regeneration of Barnard Park

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Park Flowers Like the Rain

There are good things about a rainy summer. The bed tended by our volunteers near Charlotte Terrace can be a tough one given park traffic. But this summer it came into its own with glorious flowers. Yellow daisies and golden rod grew tall with the moisture. The buddleia thrived with dark purple blooms that the butterflies love. Teasels sprang up just in the right place. It’s a good place for pollinators.

The big bed in the children’s playground is also looking good. There are purple Russian sages, white phlox and cosmos, yellow loosestrife and marigolds from seed. Again it’s nature friendly – good for bees and butterflies. There is a cross path for children so they mingle with the flowers.

Yellow daisies and golden rod in the Charlotte Terrace Bed

And buddleia and teasel…

Children’s playground nature friendly garden

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Summer Fun for Kids

Here are two more free activities for children in Barnard Park in August:

Barnard Adventure Playground is running a free summer programme for children aged 6–13. Kids can enjoy the playground’s amazing play frame plus games and art projects. The Playground’s holiday schedule is Monday to Friday: Session 1 – 10:30am–1:30pm, Stay and Eat – 1:30–2:30pm, Session 2 – 2:30–5:30pm. You must register for a session: press here. 

Bright Start is offering a free summer holiday stay and play session for families with children up to 8 years in the grounds of the One O’Clock Club. The sessions are set for Monday, 1–2.30pm, Thursday 10.30am to 12 noon until 27 August. The outdoor sessions include a free ‘lunch in a bag’ for children. Thursday sessions offer song and movement. Press here for contact details.

Come play in our neighbourhood

The Adventure Playground is the place to be for imaginative play

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Wonderful Water Feature

There is a lot happening in Barnard Park this summer. For children, there are free activities in Barnard Park. The new water feature is operating in the children’s playground from 11am to 7pm. There are water jets and overhead buckets of water that rain down. Good times!

Have a splash around!

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Coffee and Snacks in the Park

Fancy a coffee? Just ask Shana for one. There is now a coffee and bagel van in the park for the summer. Swash & Jones will be serving from 8am-6pm six days a week. Shana is deciding which day she will take off. There are coffees, teas, delicious snacks and toasted bagels. So stop by on the way to work, walking your pup or on your visit to the park.

Treat yourself! Stop by for a coffee or cake.

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