Last Saturday, Dec 14th, we had a small gathering in the park to celebrate the opening of the Earth Trail, which is now installed on posts around the Langley end of the park. it was opened by James Hunt, the Mayor of the Town Council, pictured here (right) with Emily Andrews, of Andrews Massey Duo, (left) who composed the music for the trail and Chris Sunderland, the author and narrator (centre). James welcomed the installation and recognised that it might actually be unique. Nowhere else, as far as we know, has such a trail, telling the history of the Earth to words and music.

Claire Hazelgrove, our MP, could not join us on Saturday but sent a message to the gathering in which she complimented Friends of Emersons Green Park, on their ‘passion and imagination for reconnecting communities with nature’ and described the Earth Trail as a ‘truly beautiful initiative’. Thank you for those kind comments, Claire.

If you haven’t listened to the trail yourself yet, why not take the time over the Christmas holiday and treat yourself.

The Friends of Emersons Green Park held their AGM on Monday 14th October at the Emersons Green Library.

The accounts for the year were presented by Sharon Bonson and accepted by the committee. Overall, there was small surplus of about ~£100 for the year, once outstanding credits and debits were accounted for. So, the adjusted balance for the start of the year is just over a £1000.

After a very long and very successful stint over many years as Chair, Chris Sunderland stepped down from that role, but remains on the committee. The new Chair is Graham Johnson, with Sue Fenton acting as Deputy Chair. Ann Birkett will act as Secretary and Sharon Bonson continues in her role as Treasurer. The other committee members are Elizabeth Fusine, and Bobbie and Chris Sunderland.

Graham Johnson began as Chair by providing a brief review of the year, the highlight of which is the new Dinosaur Garden with the centrepiece being ‘Dinomite’ our willow sculpture Saltasaurus. This has proved to be very popular with the children and has become a talking point for people who use the park.

The meeting concluded with an open session to discuss future plans and ideas. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the Friends of Emersons Green Park please let us know…