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This year we wanted to add a little bit extra to our community Christmas celebrations at Plough Green, Old Malden. We initially thought of adding ‘a few more stalls’, but what started there, grew into something much larger…

…’A few more stalls’ turned into a Christmas gift market. We then decided that we needed a Santa’s Grotto. The music tent was doubled in size, and we added three extra acts, supported by a beefy sound system. And with all that going on, we would need much more food and drink. We sourced a wide range of suppliers.

A larger event costs more to put on, so we approached local businesses to see if they’d support us. We were bowled over by their response. Ivy Gate, the estate agents, became our main sponsor, covering both the cost of Christmas tree and a significant contribution towards the event itself. Our other sponsors were Hooky Street Coffee Co, Visiting Angels North Surrey care agency, Fangorn Landscapes, Suzanne Asbury’s Designer Travel and Neale Wadsworth Electricians. We also had support from Miller & Carter, Joanne Chandler hair salon, Worcester Park Tiles, Prontaprint, Peeps Pizza, Bella Boutique, Jazz Barbers and the wonderful Plough Bakery.

We set-up the Christmas tree the day before the event. A small team of regulars came out and decorated it in the morning. In the afternoon, the Fangorn Landscapes team came out to install the white picket fencing, which they do every year.

We got onto site early on Sunday morning to start the set-up for the event. Gazebos needed putting up and our lighting and cabling needed to be installed. Fortunately this year, we’d recruited local electricians, Neal Wadsworth Electrical, to support the event. They provided their service entirely for free. The weather took a turn for the worse, with constant rain all morning, By lunchtime we were ready and the skies had cleared.

Our gift market comprised of 15 vendors, who were selling gifts ranging from locally sourced honey to locally brewed beer, and much more in between.

Our music tent, which Fangorn Landscapes had sponsored, hosted: the Malden Manor Church Choir; musical acts from Coombe Boys School; duo, Two Infinity; and Vibrant Ukes.

Food and drink was provided by Hooky Street, Miller & Carter, a crepe van, and Seoul Food (Korean Food stall). We sold (lots of) mulled wine, plus treats from the Plough Bakery, from the Community Tent.

Santa’s Grotto was a big hit. It was sponsored and looked after by the team from Visiting Angels North Surrey. Throughout the afternoon over 150 children were able to meet Father Christmas.

The day finished off with the switching on of the lights. I introduced our special guest, Henry Riley, who we’d invited to switch-on the tree lights. Henry is a former pupil of Richard Challoner, and rising star at LBC. We wanted to celebrate local success.

The green was packed with local residents as the lights were switched on, and many joined in with our festive sing-along led by the Ukele band – the Vibrant Ukes.

All too soon the event was over, and we were packing away. We were fortunate that so many people stuck around to help break-down the gazebos and the lighting.

A massive thank-you to all our volunteers who worked tirelessly to help make the event a great success. A special mention to our event director, Nausheen Arnold.

We were raising money for Kingston Hospital and our beloved, Manor Park.If you’d like to support our work in anyway, please do drop us a line at team@ourmanorpark.org.uk

For our second volunteer morning of the Autumn, we had a fantastic turnout – 40 plus people, young and old, got stuck into a variety of tasks around the park. We were over the moon to welcome back some of our Saturday morning regulars and really pleased to see so many new faces.

We cleared paths of overgrowth, cut-back bramble, and planted daffodils, tulips and wild-flowers. Several bags of litter were gathered from all round the park. (This is the type of litter that would never get retrieved by the council’s contractor.) At one stage we had so many people active around the park, that we ran short of tools.

Our mid-morning refreshment break is always a good opportunity to catch up with our regular helpers and chat with our new volunteers. These are always very social occasions.

It was a very successful event. I hope everyone involved will get a great deal of satisfaction seeing all the new flowers appearing in spring, and knowing that they’ve played their part keeping the park in good condition.

This was out last volunteer session of 2024. Keep your eye out on our events page for the next session. If you’d like to speak with us directly, please send an email to team@ourmanorpark.org.uk

Each summer Friends of Manor Park hosts a series of walks to encourage residents to engage with our natural and historical landscape. We’ve hunted bats in Six Acre Meadow, explored the Hogsmill River into Kingston, and on Thursday 18th July, for our final walk of the season, we headed over to Tolworth Court Farm. We were, as ever, very fortunate to have Elliot Newton, Kingston’s Biodiversity Officer, guiding us.

Tolworth Court Farm is Kingston’s largest nature reserve at approximately 100 acres. It’s a historic site which was last farmed in the 1960s and is recorded in the Doomsday book. It was the potential to become one of the best nature reserves in London.

Elliot is leading a project to re-wild the site, with the aim of raising the level of biodiversity, whilst ensuring it remains a place local people can enjoy. He spoke about new wetland features which will be created. Cows and sheep will use the site for grazing, as part of a process of mimicking natural processes (which would have occurred on the site before it was farmed), which will encourage a wider variety of flora and fauna.

The weather for our evening walk was amazing. The sun low in the sky gave the farmland a rich glow. We started our walk at the Moated Manor, a locked site on the other side of the road to the publicly accessible Tolworth Court Farm. Elliot gave us a talk in the barn space.

We then headed over the road and took a position on the raised earthworks that surround the farm. These were added in the 1990s to prevent vehicles entering the space, following a 5 day rave.

We then headed to area which will be made into wetland. Elliot gave his final talk here, and we headed for home via the Hogsmill.

If you’ve never been, we’d encourage you to explore this local treasure.

1# Hire the function hall – Manor Park Hall
Large newly decorated hall, run by local charity – Shiraz Mirza Trust – great for parties, functions, exercise classes, community groups, antique fairs etc More information

2# Book a tennis court
Hire one of 8 x high spec courts. These are managed by the tennis school. Book in advance or turn up and play. (Children under 16 play for FREE)
Booking – 07738 541797

3# Rent out a cricket or football pitch
We have two large senior football pitches (winter) and one cricket pitch (summer)
https://kingston.glendalelocal.co.uk/sports-venues

4# Join the Bowls Clubs
A vibrant social and sporting club. Open to all the community – very welcoming.
https://www.maldenmanorbc.co.uk/

5# Take part in an exercise class
Helen has been running low impact exercise courses on Mondays in the Manor Park Hall for the last 20+ years. Perfect for all ages. https://movesfitness.com/helen-williams/

6# Junior tennis lessons
The tennis school run coaching for the local community during term and holidays.
https://www.tennisavenue.co.uk/curriculum

7# Host a low-cost children’s parties
We have a well-equipped playground – a great space to bring a group of children and parents. We often see parents setting up gazebos and picnic blankets to use our free facilities for children’s parties.

8# Litter-picking
It’s your park. We encourage you to join our effort to keep it looking nice. Litter-picking is fun way to give something back. Just bring a bag, fill it, and put it in one of the many on-site bins. Why not take part in the coffee litterpicker offer from Hooky Street. Pick up a litter-picker and a bin bag from the coffee van, and return with a full bag, you’ll be presented with a free cup of coffee as a sign of appreciation.

9# Walking/Jogging circuits
We recently successfully submitted a bid for a new circular path in the front field. This creates the perfect setting for running or walking circuits.

10# Adult gym
Keeping on the fitness theme, we also have a newly installed gym. We have a mixture of machines and resistance type equipment. It’s been very popular locally.

We are delighted to announce the return of our park café.

Hooky Street Coffee Co are back in Manor Park over the summer, 10am-4pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. You’ll find them beyond the playground by the bowls club – next to the hedge.

It’s wonderful to have them back again. There was a big campaign to ‘Save our park café’ after the council had asked them to leave for, frankly, bureaucratic reasons last September.

Working for you

The Friends of Manor Park have been working behind the scenes on your behalf for months to get the café reinstated.

Thank-you

We’d like to mention a few of the people who’ve helped along the way, particularly Deborah de Ronde who collected over 1,000 signatures in a massive local petition, which left the council in no doubt how the community felt. Thank-you to the
Malden Manor Bowling Club for making the new location viable – by offering power for the cafe. To Cllr Richard John Thorpe who worked with the leader of the council to help get the cafe reinstated. And last but not least, to Barry and the team at Hooky Street for being so patient with us all.

Community amenity

We hope the community will enjoy having the cafe back in the park over the summer and beyond. It’s such an important amenity – with residents using it to meet up and socialise with friends and family.

The café will be continuing over the autumn and winter with hours/days TBC.

Litterpicker coffee offer

Collect a litter-picker and bin-bag from the coffee shop, and when you return with a bag of litter, Hooky Street will give you a free coffee as your reward. Offer open until further notice.

On the evening of June 27 Simeon Linstead and Elliot Newton organised a walk from St John’s church along the Hogsmill to Kingston and the Thames. We had a good turnout of local ramblers joining us on this walk. Along the way Elliot would stop and give talks about the local wildlife. Did you know there is nest of peregrine falcons on top of Kingston College and that their favourite food is now ring-necked parakeets?

Along the way we walked through Berrylands and stopped outside the Hogsmill Nature Reserve but did not have time to enter. We then pushed on through Surbiton into Kingston where we peaked into the Hogsmill Community Garden. From there we followed the Hogsmill along Kingston Art College to the Guildhall, then out to the Thames.

A big thank you to Simeon and Elliot for organising the walk.

Meeting outside St John’s Church

Stopping off by the bridge next to Six Acres Meadow

Viewing the mural under the railway bridge

Elliot giving a lecture on the subject of kingfishers.

A quick stop in the Berrylands section of the Hogsmill

A pathway just beyond Berrylands station.

Sign for the Hogsmill Community Garden

The Hogsmill Community Garden

The Hogsmill flowing into Kingston

The Hogsmill by the Guildhall.