Cycling, Mudlarking and sun: 2012

Alona Sheridan and Cllr Chris Best
http://audioboo.fm/boos/644241-friends-of-mayow-park-sydenham-plant-a-new-orchard-with-help-from-the-community

Yesterday I went along to Mayow Park Sydenham, where I found Alona Sheridan, Chair of Friends of Mayow Park helping to plant a new orchard in cojunction with the London Orchard Project.
They had ten new fruit trees and needed volunteers to help plant them. As usual in Sydenham there was a great show of residents who love their community and had come out in force to help.
A young father with his little girl said he thought that his daughter, May four years old would be bored after twenty minutes but found out after an hour and a new planted apple tree at his feet that he was wrong. She loved it.

Mark and his daughter May
http://audioboo.fm/boos/644360-mark-and-his-little-girl-plant-a-fruit-tree-at-mayow-park-sydenham-they-had-a-fantastic-time

The trees have sponsors and one of the ladies I spoke to Lynn, had sponsored her tree for her neighbor Dick who had lived in the flats on Burghill Road for over sixty years and sadly died last year at the age of eighty nine. He had fought in the war and had seen a lot in his long life he was a very well known gentleman and is missed. Thanks to all his neighbors who came to help remember Dick in such a loving way.
Labour Councillor Chris Best also attended, anybody who knows Chris will know she is a fan of nature and every year opens her garden up to the public as part of the Sydenham Festival thank you Chris.

First tree gets planted

The London Orchard Project is an initiative that promotes fruit trees in London and hopes that Londoners will rediscover the pleasure of eating home-grown fruit.
If Mayow Park had planted fruit trees when I was a child I would certainly have eaten the fruit instead of scrumping from nearby gardens. I used to play in Mayow Park when I was a little girl, my friends and I would climb the great oak tree at the entrance near Recreation Road and sit in it for hours having a great laugh. The beautiful Victorian fountain was another spot we would play around, we would crash through the undergrowth that surrounds the boundaries of the park and find birds eggs.
The friends of Mayow Park have done a lot of work in the park in the last few years it has a fresh new look to it, an adventure type playground with a line you can slide down, good fun even for adults. It has the traditional playground as well with a huge see-saw that fits at least ten people.
I love Sydenham it still has a feel of a villiage about it and the park is a central part of our community if you would like to get involved please feel free to contact Friends of Mayow park who are looking for volunteers to help keep the Growing Garden and the Orchard in shape.
One more great thing they have their own Parky I cant remember his name at the moment but I shall find out and update, he is a dedicated man and we are glad to have him.