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…

Dont miss a chance to talk about the park and what we have done this year – at our AGM which is on Monday Oct 14th at 8pm in Emersons Green Library. All welcome.

Also check out the Autumn Gathering on Sunday – we shall be there doing some Apple Pressing in the company of a ukelele band and Morris Dancers, a Halloween costume swap, ELCoE, our own Community Energy Company and lots more. Bring some plants if you have any to swap –

And finally I thought you would like to see this pic of a great egret, having his breakfast on Lyde Green Lake this morning. They are much larger than the little egret we are used to and only started breeding in this country in 2012. Welcome Great Egret – you are part of our Autumn Gathering!

We are delighted to report that thanks to a grant from Emersons Green Town Council we are set to install the Earth Trail in the park on a more permanent basis. Reviews of the Earth Trail have been so positive that other parks and gardens in S Glos are considering their own installations. More news about the trail in Emersons when we have a date for the opening.

Also you will be aware that this coming Sunday September15th at 2.30pm the Climate and Nature group are putting on our nature photography exhibition in Lyde Green Community Centre. Winning photos are included in the calendar, which looks wonderful this year and is specially designed for families to plan their activities.

Special visitors present will include real live birds of prey from Falconry-UK and also people from ELCoE, our new, local, not for profit community energy company, who are really keen to talk to people about retrofitting their homes and all the benefits of community energy. They have a Green Homes Open Day coming up in November.

That’s all for now.

We are very keen to hear all your comments about Earthfest this year. What did you like? What was not so good? What would you like more of? All your comments are helpful for planning the future and helping us with grant awarding bodies. So please let rip!

Awestruck by Charles Dowding, wowed with the birds and Ed Drewitt and feeling more from our sensory walks, so we enter our final Earthfest week.

On Tuesday at 11am we survey the common for insects with Ed Drewitt, discovering the creeping things and the flying things that live at our feet. Meet at the library.

On Tuesday evening at 7pm we gather at St James Church to talk about renewable energy in our local community and to dream about what might be. Hosted by our own Emersons and Lyde Community Energy and featuring Bristol Energy Network, who have already done some amazing work in the region, it promises to open up whole new ways of getting ready for the future.

Wednesday 19th at 6pm we welcome Nick Wilcox-Brown to help us with our nature photography. This was postponed from last week due to the weather. Meet at the library.

On Thursday 20th Sarah and Jenny host an evening with the swifts. The swift walk and talk meets at the entrance to the King George Vth playing fields on Westerleigh Road.

And last but not least, on Saturday 22nd we have a Picnic in the Park. Bring your own food and drink, sit and listen to musicians including Flautet at 11.30am, the choir of Emersons Green Primary school at 12 noon, and Clube de Choro at 12.30pm, with opportunities to make little dinosaurs, tour the orchard and more. (The weather looks okay at the moment but if it turns difficult, then our wet weather plan is to meet in Resound, Blackhorse Road instead. A notice will be posted on this website on Friday pm and on our Facebook site if this wet weather plan is in operation)

Last minute bookings are welcome. Just a few places remaining. No need to book for the picnic.

Apologies to those who had booked for tonight’s Improving your Nature Photography walk, but the weather forecast shows serious rain and Nick has kindly offered to run the event next Wednesday June 19th at 6pm instead. Meet outside the library as before.

All week and until the end of the festival the Earth Trail remains in the park for you to enjoy. The first people to go round were thrilled with what they experienced, using words like ‘beautiful, uplifting and moving’. Take your phones and headphones and walk slowly round the route as you journey in words and music from the beginning of time until now.

Tonight (Monday 10th) we welcome Charles Dowding at Resound 7.30pm. This inspirational figure is a phenomenon in vegetable growing and the care of the soil. Not to be missed.

On Wednesday at 6am – for those who can get out of bed – a treat – Ed Drewitt will take us on a walk to introduce us to our local birds. If you have never experienced a walk with Ed you will be amazed at how he will help you to see and feel the life all around us. It is followed by a breakfast at the Langley. Breakfast bookings remain open until tonight.

On Thursday – we welcome Nick Wilcox-Brown, meet outside the library at 6pm. Nick is a professional photographer with a particular interest in nature, who will inspire us in our hunt for the perfect shot. All ages and types of kit, phones, cameras etc all welcome. And don’t forget the local nature photo competition is still open.

And on Saturday, we repeat our sensory walks at 11am and 2pm, meeting at the library. These are a very special opportunity to see the world around us in a different way. Mark, and his team from Westonbirt Arboretum, who lead the walks, create an extraordinary experience of nature for us. Highly recommended!

Booking for all of these can be found on our programme page.

You may also like to check out our final week which features an insect survey with Ed; an Energy academy roadshow with our new Emersons and Lyde Community Energy company – made up of local people, all volunteers at this stage, looking to power up our community with renewable energy; a swift walk and talk with local enthusiast Sarah and our final picnic in the park – for which the weather will be amazing – really – I hope so anyway!

We have two events this week, both with a historical theme.

On Tuesday at 7pm and 8pm we launch our Earth Trail. Places are available. Book here. Expect a walk around the park with six places where you can stop and use a QR code to access words and music that take you on a science-based meditative journey featuring the history of the Earth. It is a quite new experience. No one, to our knowledge, has done anything quite like this before. The publisher, Chris Sunderland, is very keen to hear feedback about how this feels to people. It should be accessible to everyone of secondary age and older. The trail is also wheelchair accessible. You will need a phone with a headset. If you miss the launch, the trail will remain for everyone to enjoy throughout the Earthfest season. Here is a map showing the trail.

Then on Sunday June 9th at 11am local resident Mark is leading a walk to discover the industrial past of the area. Glimpses of our industrial past should be fascinating for everyone interested in local history. Places are available book here. Meet outside the library.

Looking further ahead, it looks like half the world is going to hear Charles Dowding on the 10th! Don’t worry the hall at Resound is big, but we do have spaces on the Early morning bird walk with Ed Drewitt on the 12th. This is one not to miss and followed by a full English at the Langley. Book here.

Also to flag up another new type of event on June 18th, we will be launching our own Emersons and Lyde Community Energy company, a non profit organisation of local people (five of the directors regularly volunteer with Friends of Emersons Green Park), which is dedicated to promoting renewable energy in the local area. The event is called Energy Academy Roadshow and is in partnership with Bristol Energy Network. In association with that this new company is currently advertising a part-time job that would particularly suit someone who lives locally. Details here.