Tag Archives: Friends of Thornbury Park
Thornbury Park Event on Saturday 8 September 2017
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August 24, 2017 · 14:09Friends of Thornbury Park
Will meet on Wednesday 26 July 2017 at 7.00 pm by the Outdoor Gym, Thornbury Park, London Road, Isleworth
Grapes and berries in Thornbury Park
Since the reforming of the Friends of Thornbury Park, visitors there will have noticed some better attention paid to this important but occasionally neglected local recreation space.
When we first met in November 2015, there were many ideas discussed and proposed to improve Thornbury Park. At the time, there was no council resource to help make any of them a reality apart from holding the parks maintenance contractor to their schedules and encouraging the police to up their patrols to address varied anti social behaviour.
I was, however, as a councillor, able to submit bids to the unspent S106 planning gain fund insomuch as historic developer contributions could be applied to a) schemes local to Spring Grove developments and b) for parks type projects. In 2016 I was teased with an award of £4,200, which, in the scheme of things, was almost not worth getting off the swings for. Persistence paid off in January 2017 with a second allocation of £75,977 making a total of £80,177 to start to realise some of the November 2015 ideas.
Hounslow Council’s Parks Team and the parks contractor Carillion have now produced proposals and costs for improvements at Thornbury Park over and above the maintenance contract. Details can be found on the spends spreadsheet here and trees and shrub reduction and new pathways suggestion here.
Readers will note that so far, a proposed spend of only £25,839 has been identified and these are listed on the spreadsheet, leaving decisions to be made for the remaining £54,338 and that is why it would be good to see as many Friends and users of Thornbury Park next Wednesday.
Should anyone be unable to make it to the meeting, please email me with any comments to tony.louki@hounslow.gov.uk
You may also wish to follow Friends of Thornbury Park on Twitter and Facebook.
As always, am happy to discuss.
TL 21.7.2017
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Filed under Events, Leisure, London Road, Neighbourhoods, Parks, Reports, Spring Grove, Thornbury Park
Thornbury Park: some progress – out there again on Monday 1 February 2016 at 10.30 am
Following a good explore with a dozen friends late November 2015, a fair list of actions was compiled and shared with the Hounslow Council Parks Team and contractors Carillion. A record of the walk on 21.11.2015 can be seen here.
Folk out on the Thornbury Park walk on Saturday morning 21 November 2015
Some matters have been addressed but there is still a reasonable amount to attend to.
To progress, and with apologies to those unable to make it on a Monday morning, the parks team and contractor have agreed to meet me and anyone else able to attend, to go through the list.
Meet by the play area at 10.30 am on Monday 1 February 2016.
Whether able to make it or not, there is good news for those who had previously made requests for the installation of outdoor gym equipment in Thornbury Park.
Example of outdoor gym equipment, pigeon optional
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Filed under Events, Health, Leisure, London Road, Neighbourhoods, Parks, Spring Grove, Thornbury Park
Thornbury Park: More friends than you may have thought
Another decent turnout in The Music Room, Spring Grove House courtesy of the good people at West Thames College last Wednesday 4 November 2015. This time for people to share thoughts and experiences of Thornbury Park and to explore the potential of setting up a friends group for the place.
Thornbury Park looking west from near the Rennels Way and Sidmouth Avenue entrance
There were quite a few justified grumbles about the way the park is maintained and managed, litter, graffiti, drinking, motorbike riding, drugs activity as well as lack of other facilities and no organised activities and sports.
But at the same time almost all present had good to say about the place, an oasis of green in a growing town with albeit limited and semi neglected play and sports facilities, a good place to walk with or without a dog.
The most encouraging aspect of the evening was the good and practical ideas offered by residents present, a wish to move forward but not ignoring the present issues. Each was given an opportunity to write three things they like, three don’t likes and three ways they would improve Thornbury Park. A summary of the points can be found here and a full list containing all comments made is here.
Also heartening is a list so far of 11 residents offering their time and skills to form a friends group as is the support, offered and implied, by the St Johns Residents Association, Hounslow Council’s Community Partnerships Unit and Hounslow Central Ward councillors, two of whom, Ajmer and Pritam Grewal were in attendance too. The note taking of Christine Diwell from the Isleworth Society was much appreciated and these (including a discussion on Isleworth Station, the same night) can be found here.
Sign on a housing estate local to Thornbury Park offering advice to youngsters
What’s next then? A report of the meeting will be shared with Hounslow Council, Carillion and the Police and feedback and their comments sought. Residents who signed up their services will be contacted over the next couple of weeks with a view to meet, discuss and plan.
It would also be good to meet, even at this time of the year, for an hour’s walk in Thornbury Park at 10.00 a.m on Saturday 21 November 2015. Rendezvous by the playground near the London Road entrance.
As always happy to hear from anyone, email tony.louki@hounslow.gov.uk
TL 7.11.2015
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Filed under Leisure, London Road, Neighbourhoods, Parks, Spring Grove, Thornbury Park, Thornbury Road
Tony Louki's Report Back 