Our 2010 Summer Festival

Girl with face paint onOur 2010 Summer Festival is part of a larger, two-day programme of events, 'The Midsummer Parks Dream', held in partnership with the Friends of Eaglesfield Park, who will host 'Family Fun' on Friday, 25th June. 'The Midsummer Parks Dream' is our event which has been greatly helped by funding from Greenwich Council's Parksfest programme.

The Summer Festival afternoon on the 26th June at Shrewsbury Park will run from 1 - 4pm and will feature all the stalls we've had in the past, the fabulous Dog Show, a story-telling space, a drumming workshop, circus performers, musicians, children's mini-Olympics (featuring soft javelin and discus) and walk-around impromptu shows of all kinds organized within an old-fashioned street-market format. In the evening, the performances will continue with a Prom in the woods at 7pm, with the Plumstead quartet performing light classical and modern music, along with other local performers.

Bring a blanket and a picnic and sit back and enjoy.

Letter from Carol, Co-secretary of Friends of Shrewsbury Park

Dear Friends of Shrewsbury Park,

An up-date on the exciting developments for 'The Midsummer Parks Dream' events coming up on the 25th (Eaglesfield Park) and 26th (Shrewsbury Park). And also Andy Brockman's fascinating archaeology project in Eaglesfield Park: he and his team have excavated the gun mount from the First World War and have found other remains from both wars. Please make time this week to stop by Eaglesfield Park to see part of the history of SE18!

Yesterday Nicolle Freni, chief organiser of the Dog Show, displayed some of the fabulous prizes for the tombola donated by local businesses. What dog can do without a David Beckham Bone? Not to mention a football bed (three or four),  throwers, and other great doggy goodies. We are all in for a big treat at FSP's Summer Festival whether we enter our beloved pet in the Dog Show contests or just observe all the fun. This Dog Show is not to be missed! It will run through most of the FSP Summer Festival, Saturday, 26th June, 1 - 4 pm, with a varied programme of contests, prizes and activities for dogs and humans.

Remember that you can stay in touch with the organisers of all events of 'The Midsummer Parks Dream' and others who plan to attend or participate by joining the Facebook group 'Midsummer Parks Dream'.

Just about all the leafleting has been apportioned to volunteers, but we still are in need of volunteers to help us set up and mind stalls, direct visitors, etc. If you have a few hours to spare on the afternoon or evening of the 26th, please contact me via this email address or the Facebook group 'Midsummer Parks Dream'. Thanks to all of you who have helped with leafleting and have volunteered to help on the 26th.

For more information on the Summer Festival, see our web site www.fspark.org.uk, or the PARKSfest website, www.parksfest.org, click on 'Midsummer Parks Dream'.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 26th!

All the best,

Carol Farr

Co-Secretary of Friends of Shrewsbury Park

Shrewsbury Park Summer Festival

Can you help out at the Shrewsbury Park Summer Festival on 26th June 2010? 

We need people to help set up and/or look after the stalls, help with the dog show, act as a steward, and clearing up.

We also need people to deliver leaflets – are you able to leaflet your road in the week 14th – 20th June?

Please contact us to let us know.

Eaglesfield Park Anti Aircraft Gun and Community Archaeology:  Tour on Saturday 19th June 2pm.

Before the Blitz of 1940 there was the First Blitz, the German Air Raids on London during World War One. The preparations and defences put in place to protect London and Londoners from attacks by Zeppelin and later aircraft between 1915 and 1918 led directly to the more familiar anti aircraft guns, search lights and barrage balloons of 1940. One such Anti Aircraft Gun and one of the first fixed Anti Aircraft Gun sites in London, was in Eaglesfield Park Shooters Hill.

During the past week the site at Eaglesfield has been the subject of a Comunity based archaeological dig and this Saturday, 19th June at 2pm, you have a chance to see rare evidence of those remarkable days and the desperate arms race between the British Government and German aviators as we are offering a tour of the excavation and the chance to see the archaeologists of the Digging Dad's Army Project at work as they continue to uncover the secrets of this lost piece of Greenwich history.

Digging Dad's Army is a new kind of publicly accessible, community archaeology. Our motto is "A People's Archaeology for a People's War," and all our work is carried out by a mixture of professional archaeologists, students and members of the local community, all working as part of the same team and sharing the work as it happens with the public.

We do this through exhibitions, such as "Digging The Blitz" , which will run through the Summer at Firepower -  the Royal Artillery Museum, as well as on line at a Project Blog and on Facebook and by involving local people, especially schools in our work and we are delighted that, while we have been working at Eaglesfield, the team has been visited by so many local people keen to find out more about their local heritage, including pupils from Plumstead Manor School (Negus Sixth Form Centre) and Plumcroft Primary School.

Now there is one last chance for you to see the site before it is covered up again to protect it, pending discussions about its future.

The work on this rare and exciting site has been carried out with the cooperation of the London Borough of Greenwich Parks and Open Spaces Department and is part of this Summer's "Digging The Blitz Project," which "Digging Dad's Army, " is undertaking in partnership with Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum and Greenwich Heritage Centre.  "Digging The Blitz," is designed to research and commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Blitz of 1940 and the most momentous Summer in modern British History, through the collections of Greenwich Museums, the memories of Greenwich people and the archaeology in Greenwich's Parks and Streets.

Do join us on Saturday and please feel free to pass this invitation on to friends and colleagues you feel might be interested.

If you cannot come on Saturday afternoon please feel free to drop by at any time. We will be on site between 10.00 and 5pm until Sunday 20th June and if you want any further information about the work or the project please feel free to contact me directly.

Best wishes

Andy Brockman

Research Director:  The Digging Dad's Army Project
72 Nithdale Road, London SE18 3PD

Phone: 020 8316 6358
Mobile: 07958 543518
Skype Name: andy.brockman

http//:diggingdadsarmy.blogspot.com
Facebook Group:  Digging Dad's Army Project.

What's new?

We last updated this section on June 29, 2010

Narrow photo of woman in the woods

News and Events

Community Fete - A fun, action-packed, family afternoon

The Eaglesfield Park Neighbourhood Watch Scheme is hosting its third, free annual Community Fete on Saturday 12th June in Eaglesfield Park, from 1:30 to 4:30pm.

See photos of last year's Eaglesfield Park Neighbourhood Watch Community Fete

The event focuses on fostering community spirit and promotes the benefits of Neighbourhood Watch. It also provides a great way for local volunteer groups, businesses and service provides to showcase their work.

Activities and events include:

The Eaglesfield Park Neighbourhood Watch Scheme and its supporters hopes to see you there!

Stay in touch

Keep up to date with news by visiting: http://www.shnws.org.uk/ and don't forget to register for the email alert service.

Trustee role at the Horniman Museum and Gardens

The Department for Culture Media and Sport is inviting applications for a Trustee role at the Horniman Museum and Gardens.

In 1901 Frederick Horniman gave the Horniman Museum & Gardens as a free gift to the public for their recreation, instruction and enjoyment – this vision still remains central to the Horniman today. A blend of high quality collections spanning the natural, cultural and musical worlds; 16 acres of well-managed urban Gardens; community based educational and leisure programmes; and a wide range of exhibitions, performance events and activities provide an unrivalled opportunity to encounter and understand the richness and variety of the world in which we live.

The Museum has recently obtained a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards a £2.6m project to improve the Gardens, including linking them more closely with the collections and providing a building for educational activities related to the Gardens.

The specific responsibility of this Trustee role is to provide expertise in the field of gardens and/or historic parks.

The closing date is Friday 11th December.

More information

Find out more at: www.culture.gov.uk/working_with_us/public_appointments/6428.aspx

If you have any questions please get in touch.

George Cutts
Public Appointments
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Phone: 020 7211 2046, Fax: 020 7211 2170
Website: www.culture.gov.uk

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport aims to improve the quality of life for all through cultural and sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries.

Clearing brambles

Sunday 25th October at 1200

Meeting table and chairsAnnual General Meeting

We held our Annual General meeting on:

14th September 2009 at Shrewsbury House in Bushmoor Crescent.

The Agenda for the evening was:

  1. apologies and minutes of the last meeting
  2. election of Management Committee members
  3. membership
  4. annual report (slide show presentation and DVD)
  5. Safer Neighbourhood Team: Fiona & Barry will talk about their work
  6. allotments: discussion (to check we want to give up space for additional allotments, and where to site them)
  7. ideas for 2010 events (apart from our Summer Fete and four cleaning days – is there anything else you want to see happen in the Park?)
  8. guest speaker: John Denton “The butterflies in Shrewsbury park”
  9. any other business.

Bat walk at Shrewsbury Park

Friday 4th September: 7.15pm - 9.00pm - meet at the car park

Join us for an evening bat walk around Shrewsbury Park with Ed from Count Bat Project and a chance to use bat detection devices! The walk has been organised by the Friends of Shrewsbury Park and will give people the opportunity to learn more about bats in the area, how we identify the different species and will allow people a chance with using a bat detector!

We will be meeting at 7.15pm in the car park. All children should be accompanied by an adult. The route will mainly follow the pathways but may involved walking on some uneven ground, please ensure that you wear appropriate footwear and clothing for the conditions. The walk takes about 1 ½ hours, let us know if you leave early.

If you have any questions about the route, contact the Friends of Shrewsbury Park. Please note that if it is poor weather then the walk will be cancelled and will be replaced with a bat talk at Shrewsbury House.

Download a flier about the event (pdf, 81kb)

See photos of the bat walk on our gallery page

Eaglesfield Park Neighbourhood Watch Community Event

Saturday 11 July 1 - 4pm

More information

Friends of Shrewsbury Park - Archived events
Date Event Where Time
7 March 2009 Digging Dad's Army- A new archaeological project in south east and east London Shrewsbury House, Bushmoor Crescent, Shooters Hill, London SE18 3EG 11am - 1pm
29 March 2009 Join us for a walk through the Park on the first day of British Summertime Meet at the car park in Shrewsbury Park 4pm
26 April 2009 Clean-Up Day: help us clear away the brambles. Bring secateurs/loppers and protective clothing . Meet at the bottom of the hill (the Green Chain walk), where it meets Dothill. See you at 12 noon.
27 June 2009 Open Day Shrewsbury Park 1.00pm - 4pm
17 July 2009 School in the Park Party Shrewsbury Park 11.30am - 6.00pm
26 July 2009 Clean-Up Day Shrewsbury Park -
meeting point TBA		 Mid-day and onwards
4 September 2009 Bat Walk Shrewsbury Park 7:15pm - 9.00pm
14 September 2009 AGM Shrewsbury House, Bushmoor Crescent 7:30pm
25 October 2009 Clean-Up Day Clearing brambles. Meet at the Green Chain signpost at the top of the field. 12.00pm
30 May 2010 Clean-Up Day: We will be cutting back the stinging nettles at the entrance to Garland Road and cleaning the woods there.Please bring shears, stout gloves and wear protective clothing. Meet at the junction of the Green Chain Walk with Dothill 11am