Annual Report 2022 / 2023

The Committee of the Friends of Pinner Village Gardens presented their Annual Report for the financial year 2022/23 at the Annual General Meeting in July 2023.


The Annual Report continues the style introduced with the Spring 2023 newsletter.  


The 8-page document aims to provide an easy-to-read, illustrated snap-shot of the work of the Friends.

Special Coronation Picnic Party Newsletter

A special Coronation Picnic Party & dog show newsletter has been published by the Friends of Pinner Village Gardens to record this fun event as part of a historic weekend. 


What it cannot show you is the hours of planning by the volunteers that went into making it a success before and after the event. The party is not over until the clearing-up is done.


There are lots of photos – you may see yourself or your dog – but we cannot include everyone.  
It was a great surprise that King’s representative for Greater London Deputy Lieutenant  Simon Ovens attended to deliver a message from King Charles III, and accompanied the then Mayor of Harrow Councillor Janet Mote.

Junior Parkrun Update

As we’re sure you’ll already know, we are seeking to bring a Junior Parkrun to Pinner Village Gardens. This is a weekly run for children aged between four to fourteen across a 2-kilometre route set out in the park. With thanks to those generous donations, the startup fund of £4,000 was raised to enable this to take place.

To reflect the imminent status of the start of the parkrun, we have added a specific page to our menu which can be seen here. This will be updated with the current status of the project, and right now we’re encouraging those who have not already done so, to sign up to take part at:

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/register/

Initially, we will run a small scale pilot event to test our equipment, course suitability and most importantly………. our preparation! If successful, we plan to go live the following week.

We’ll publicise the start date on social media and personal communications. We’ll also keep the Junior Parkrun details in our event calendar which can be found here.

We are currently creating a list of fantastic volunteers who are happy to help out on the occasional Sunday. Our parkrun needs 14 volunteers each week to enable it to operate. If you feel you could spare an hour of your time, please do contact either:

Glyn Watkins – glynwatkins11@gmail.com

Emma Rackham – emma.rackham@parkrun.com

We hope to see you at the Junior Parkruns once they begin!

Visit by David Simmons MP to PVG

Five people standing in a row during David Simmons MP's visit to PVG.

Earlier today, volunteers from the Friends of Pinner Village Gardens welcomed David Simmons, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, to the park where he joined us for one of our working parties. Cllr Simmons has been the Conservative MP for the constituency since 2019.

During his visit, he was able to see the work recently completed on the new stone raised bed at the Rayners Lane entrance, which was designed to mirror the bed installed during the 1930s at the Whittington Way entrance and bring a sense of symmetry to the park.

He subsequently praised the beauty of the park on Twitter, where he posted a selfie with the mural near the Rayners Lane entrance. The Friends funded this mural during the pandemic, with members voting on the chosen design. We would like to thank David for his kind words about the park, and for taking the time to visit us earlier.

For further details on how to join our working parties, please see our volunteers page here.

Park Improvements at Rayners Gate

Recent visitors to the park may have seen works started near the entrance leading onto Rayners Lane/Marsh Road. This is part of the improvements to the grassy “roundabout” in the middle of the path. The area was previously used as the location for the park sign, which the Friends have since had moved to outside the park.

An artist’s impression of the completed project

This location will feature a raised bed within a low stone wall. This is with the intention of mirroring the 1930’s design already in place at the entrance leading from Whittington Way. It will feature new planting and flowers, and a series of raised sculptural elements reminiscent of wild clematis seed heads. These are metal and sprayed with a coating that will encourage them to rust so as to bring additional colour to the area.

Examples of the intended raised elements

As always, a lot of thanks to all those involved in this project. Including both those who have generated the funds, and those volunteers who are completing the work on behalf of the Friends. This is part of an overall plan to bring Pinner Village Gardens in line with the Green Flag Award. Further information can be seen on that Award here.

Examples of a selection of the planting at the new raised bed

Other larger-scale park improvements have also been proposed at the Hereford Gardens entrance, which can be seen here.

Hereford Gardens Entrance Vitalisation

Visitors to Pinner Village Gardens will be familiar with the work conducted by the Friends and their volunteers to make the entrances to the park as welcoming as possible. This has seen overhauls of the planting and layouts at the Whittington Way, Rayners Lane/Marsh Road and the Compton Rise entrances. However, there is an as-yet untouched entrance, which leads from Hereford Gardens into the park next to the tennis courts adjacent to the playground.

An overhaul of the Hereford Gardens entrance has been proposed, and we would like to hear your feedback. So please take a look at the designs below, and let us know by responding via this form.


Hereford Gate Proposal

Concept: Plants with fragrance for people, and plants suited to bees and other pollinators to benefit all.

Aims:

  • To provide a fragrant welcome and interest all year but with particular winter highlights
  • To add some new plant species for added interest for people and insects
  • The plants chosen need for low or little management and are suited to the site conditions.
  • To be achievable by FoPVG volunteers

The areas under consideration today to some 140 –190 square metres and their dimensions are:

  • Hereford Gate entrance way South facing side 26m x 1.5m continuing to:
  • Border of Tennis Court South 30m x 3m
  • Hereford Gate entrance way North facing side 26m x 1.5m
  • Around PVG Sign at start of Hereford Green 3m x 4m
  • Stickman Point at Hereford Green 5m x 2m approx.

Additional planting under the trees immediately to the right in the park after entering, and around the adjacent bench, will be considered at a later stage.

A layout of planting near the hereford gardens entrance
Proposed planting at the Hereford Gate area
A layout of planting near the hereford gardens entrance
Proposed planting south of the tennis courts
A layout of planting near the hereford gardens entrance
Proposed planting on Hereford Green (immediately to the right in the park after entering via Hereford Gardens)

These plans will see the relocation of two existing Amelanchier trees and the addition of the following:

Shrubs:

  • Buddleja davidii ‘Black Knight’ x 2
  • Buddleja davidii ‘Royal Red’ x 2
  • Chaenomeles x superba ‘Jet Trail’ x 1
  • Chaenomeles x superba ‘Pink Lady’ x 1
  • Choisya ternata x 2
  • Hebe ‘Great Orme’ x 2
  • Hypericum × hidcoteense ‘Hidcote’ x 3
  • Mahonia aquifolium ‘Apollo’ x 9
  • Osmanthus delavayii x 1
  • Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna ‘Purple Stem’ x 9
  • Skimma japonica ‘Rubella’ x 10
  • Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ x 12
  • Viburnum x burkwoodii ‘Anne Russell’ x 2
  • Weigela ‘Florida Variegata’ x 2

Ferns:

  • Asplenium scolopendrium (evergreen fern) x 9
  • Polystichum setiferum (evergreen fern) Plumosomultilobum Group x 12

Groundcover (multiples of all):

  • Ajuga reptans ‘Atropurpurea’ 
  • Asarum europaeum
  • Heuchera
  • Liriope muscari ‘Royal Purple’ or ‘Big Blue’
  • Petasites fragrans
  • Vinca major (relocated)
  • Vinca minor (relocated)

Hardy Perennials & Bienuals:

  • Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ x 9
  • Anemone x hybrida ‘September Charm’ x 9
  • Astrantia major x 4
  • Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora ‘Solfatare’ x 1
  • Crocosmia ‘Lucifer x 2
  • Digitalis purpurea (common foxglove) (multiples)
  • Geranium – hardy pink (relocated) x 5 approx

Bulbs (autumn planting for spring flowering):

  • Leucojem aestivum ‘Gravetye Giant’ x 100
  • Camassia leichtlinii Careulea group x 100
  • Narcissus ‘Tete-a-Tete’ x 1,000
  • Muscari armeniacum x 1,000
  • Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ x 200

The Children’s Fun Run 2021

It was so pleasing to see everyone this morning for our inaugural Children’s Fun Run to support the foundation of the Pinner Junior Parkrun. We had a huge number of attendees, who were all just as excited as we were to see everyone out and enjoying the park.

For those who took part, please download your participation certificate from here: https://www.pinnervillagegardens.org.uk/fun-run-certificate/

We were even lucky with the weather, as there were only a few spots of rain as the runners set off around the two-kilometre course. A huge thank you to everyone who attended, as well as the ongoing support of running club Metros and the Pinner Rotary Club who lent us the equipment to put on today’s event.

It was also great to hear feedback from parents who were keen for us to start up the Junior Parkrun so that we can do this every Sunday. We are thankful for their donations at the event, and a few suggested that we put out a donation link. So if you’d like to donate to the efforts to bring a Parkrun to Pinner Village Gardens, then you can do so via PayPal with this button:


The Difference 45 Years Makes

With thanks to the Facebook Group “Harrow – Old Views“, we recently discovered a photograph of the rose circle near the Whittington Way entrance which was taken in 1976. This is the only photograph we have of the old Elm Trees that used to stand in Pinner Village Gardens, as they were removed the following year because of Dutch Elm Disease.

Another thing to note is the absence of Compton Copse, which was subsequently added to the western edge of the ridge and furrow field. With modern technology, you can directly compare the photograph below, with that of the park at the moment. Simply use the scroller on the image from left to right to take a look at the differences in the park across more than four decades.