A while back the notice board fell down – the legs had become rotten. Great news that thanks to the ingenuity and skill of Robert McIntosh from the Forest Hill Society, and two hardy helpers, Andrew Orford and Billy Harding, the old board was repaired over the weekend and reinstalled. We also decided to reposition it – in its previous location, although very visible, the board blocked visual access to the Green, which several of us felt was a shame….
On Saturday 11th January, a frosty but bright day (thank goodness), seventeen local volunteers congregated on the Green for a collective litter pick of the railway footpath from Forest Hill to Sydenham. Part of the path runs alongside the Green. The event was part of the Million Mile Clean initiative begun by Surfers against Sewage. AMG Friend Eleanor Malone, who spearheaded our involvement in this project, reported afterwards that we had collected about 100kg of waste. We were also asked…
Heartfelt thanks to AMG Friend Claire Gayle and to her colleagues at the Pegasus Group, for returning this year (on Friday 11 October) to help us out on the Green. After a rainy week, we were relieved that the day was dry and bright! Yet again so much was achieved: the old, disused dog pond was filled up (a muddy and muscle-stretching job) … … a load of woodchip was distributed on paths, hedges were trimmed, and a huge area…
On Sunday 9th June, we teamed up with the Forest Hill Society and Evelyn from Exploring Nature Ltd to host forest arts and crafts activities on the Green. The event was part of the Forest Hill Society’s ‘Forest Hill Walking Festival’ and was created especially for children and families. Featured activities included decorating pebbles, embellishing glass jars, and creating art inspired by Hapa Zome, which means “leaf dye” in Japanese. It is a printmaking technique that uses the natural pigments…
Albion Millennium Green is participating in the Forest Hill Society’s Walking Festival this Sunday. There will be activities for children and adults to enjoy. Visit the Forest Hill Society’s Facebook page here for more details. The walk starts at 11am at Forest Hill Station. It is an easy circular 30 minute walk over 1 mile which ends back at the station. The walk is on the GoJauntly App illustrated with photos. Visit GoJauanty here for details. Do come and join…
Between 7-12 May, the wonderful TEATRO VIVO have been using Albion Millennium Green to culminate their multi-site production, COMMON. It is about the 400 year history of what was once Sydenham (or Westwood) Common. You can find out more about that history here. Starting in Wells Park, the performance stopped off at locations along Wells Park Road, in Baxter Field, and off Round Hill (by local landmark, St Antholin’s Spire, now in the middle of a 1960’s housing estate). These…
Today (May 4th) is World Labyrinth Day. Today, many people around the world walk around an outdoor or indoor labyrinth in a meditative physical prayer for world peace. You can find out more here. Pictured here, is the Green – bathed in glorious sunshinI took the photograph from the centre of our labyrinth during a peaceful walk of my own.
Spring is definitely my favourite season! Change in the form of new growth can be so rapid. Currently we have lots of bluebells – we have a mix of English and Spanish on the Green – the lilac is out, and we also spotted a couple of isolated cowslips. I was particularly pleased to see that the site that had been damaged last year is now flourishing. It had been set on fire by person or persons unknown. But the…
The snowdrops we planted last year made a showing a few weeks back. This was lovely to see. Daffodils are currently in bloom and there are many other early signs of spring. Sadly though much of the Green is muddy and in places water logged. Over the last year, areas that were grassy – notably our designated area of meadowland and our central seating area – have become progressively depleted of grass and are now in poor condition. The Friends…
This Autumn the Friends and Trustees of Albion Millennium Green commissioned local tree surgeons Amber Tree Care to carry out a survey (a health check) of the trees on the Green. This is something that we will continue to do every couple of years. The survey indicated that one dead elm tree, three dead silver birch trees and one snapped silver birch tree would need to be felled to a short, safe height above ground level. Dead and dangerous branches…