Friends of Brockwell Park | FoBP Chair’s Autumn Update

Welcome to October

We are finally experiencing typical English summer weather, but we've had to wait for autumn for it! The park has suffered its hottest summer in history with many trees distressed, the grass parched and the ponds drying out.

The Friends have been working to mitigate the effects where we can, but with another hot year forecast we are keen to build resilience for future years.

The premature death of some cygnets was the first alarm and caused widespread sadness amongst park users. As one of the ponds started to dry completely we were in constant communication with Parks Officers. The new water supply has filled the pond and allowed the pumps to restart, but a long term solution requires the desilting of the pond and possibly the resurrection of the borehole.

The Friends have lined up volunteering sessions over the next few months to build retaining hedges and gabions around the pond to hold the excavated silt. We will then bind them together with aquatic and marginal plants.

FoBP Chair Michael Taylor on one of our watering rounds

The trees have suffered most from the heat and drought. Even well established trees have gone into a shocked early autumn. We have been especially concerned about the recently planted trees, many of which are part of our tree donation scheme. The contracted watering program has not been regular enough and so the Friends have set up a watering rota to try to save the most vulnerable.

Let us know if you might like to join our volunteering efforts.