This is what the GGGs had to contend with at the river clean-up event behind Gurnell Leisure Centre on Sunday 9th June: Continue reading “Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers June Event”
Museum of London Docklands – Secret Rivers Exhibition
The Secret Rivers exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands is on now and will be continuing till October. It’s very much worth a visit for those interested in the many rivers that have been wholly or partially lost. Our own River Brent running through Perivale Park appears on the large map at the entrance but the focus of the exhibition is those rivers that became sewers and were then filled in and built over. It’s just a pity that Costons Brook doesn’t feature on the map! The nearest station to the Museum is Westferry on the DLR.
Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers June Clean-Up Event
Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers May Event
Many thanks to the 12 wonderful volunteers who assiduously cleared an area of dry riverbed next to Perivale Park Golf Course last Sunday 12th May.
(Almost) all things orchard.
Here is an orchard update, both for Perivale Park and for our exploration of the Hanwell orchard trail.
Bee corridors in London (Brent). Hey, Ealing has them as well!
The BBC news headline reads ‘Bee corridor’ planted in London to boost insect numbers and goes on to describe how “… wildflower meadows will be put in place in 22 of Brent Council’s parks in north London.” Well, Perivale Park is one of a similar number of parks in Ealing getting the same treatment!
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A survey of the plant life in Perivale West Meadows: a follow up 8 months later.
Last autumn we surveyed a meadow next to Perivale Park. The same crowd returned there on Sunday May 5th to investigate how it appears in spring.
Continue reading “A survey of the plant life in Perivale West Meadows: a follow up 8 months later.”
Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers next event!
Late April in the meadow.
Last October, a range of naturalised flowers were planted in the park. Here is an update on how some of them are getting on in late April. The daffodils have flowered, but the wild garlic and bluebells are just starting.
FOG and the River Brent through Perivale Park
In the course of our recent river clean-up opposite Brentside School, we experienced the full effects of FOG (fat, oil and grease) and understood something further about the role of dead vegetation in the river. Two sets of waders and a kayak were coated in a white, almost impossible-to-remove grease after being in the thick of it both near and in one case, in, a raft of assorted dead vegetation jammed up behind a fallen tree. The plastic litter we were after had accumulated on top of this raft and in order to access it, we had to break up the vegetation with rakes. This is when we released the hitherto-hidden FOG lurking there. So, the raft, which was between 2 foot and 5 foot in depth, was acting as a highly successful filter trap keeping the FOG in one manageable place. The question now is how the FOG should best be extracted from such a trap so that the vegetation can continue to act as a trap without getting entirely clogged up? Suggestions welcome! It also begs the question of how the FOG got into the river in the first place. Misconnections? The practice of pouring fat, oil and grease down the plughole in the kitchen sink, down the toilet and even directly into the river? How can we best educate/litigate to prevent these practices altogether? Again, all suggestions are welcome. One thing is sure: we need to stop FOG-tipping.
Floral meadow seeding, April 2019.
Today the central meadow is being prepared for a seeding later in the day. After that the rain dance(s) will need to be performed to ensure a spectacular display in July.
Future River Clean-Up Dates with the Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers
Following the highly-successful clean-up on 14th April in and around the River Brent near Brentside High School, our next events will be taking place on:
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53 Bags of rubbish!
The Greenford to Gurnell Greenwayers had a fun day today, removing all sorts of rubbish from the River Brent. This included one large butane tank (at least 25 Kg), a modern rental bike which was lurking there and 53 bags of very smelly rubbish. This was a canoe job, dislodging items which had become trapped behind a fallen tree and for waders, who were downstream waiting to catch them. Others cleaned the banks. Photos of these heroes are below.
April actions.
A few events in the park this April. In the spring glade at the northern entrance, the snake’s head fritillaries have made their expected April appearance, with more are flowering every day now. Very nice close up!
Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers April Event
The next clean-up on the River Brent is taking place this Sunday 14th April starting at 1pm. This event is suitable for all because it will consist of river bank litter-picking as well as in-channel work in waders to clear a large litter-berg which has built up behind a fallen tree. So, gentle tasks as well as challenging ones – chacun à son goût. But please don’t take the ‘goût’ too far – the water isn’t drinkable!
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Nearly-200-pocket-parks-will-help-transform-the-nation
It is not just Perivale Park that is getting some attention. The Government has just announced the winners of a national competition called “Pocket Parks”.
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The “Greenwayers” tidy up Costons Brook.
Costons Brook is one of two waterways in Perivale Park, being a tributary to the larger River Brent. It arises from perhaps three streams flowing from the north-west of the park, one apparently originating from the nearby Metropolitan business park. Tracing the others will require access to specialist maps! At any rate it flows out of a culvert near the children’s playground in the park, with an aspect that has recently become very much more accessible now that the blackthorn trees on each bank have been removed.
Early spring in the Park, 2019.
Its been a wet and windy spring so far. Here are some photos of the entrance to Perivale Park near to the South Greenford station/ A40 entrance.
A suggestion for planting a new tree species in the park …
Many new trees have been planted, or shortly will be planted in Perivale Park. Travelling in Morocco, we came across a very unusual species of tree and it struck me it would look really good to have one in the park. I think it would attract many new visitors!
Continue reading “A suggestion for planting a new tree species in the park …”
Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers March Event
Ice skating anyone?
London now has a mild temperate climate, so the appearance of ice is relatively unusual. Here is the new pond in Perivale Park, nicely full from winter rains, with a thin covering of ice. Too thin of course for actual ice skating!
Ealing Parks Foundation Open Evening.
An open evening was held last Thursday 24th January 2019 to announce the Ealing Parks Foundation. Thanks to Ros Bryar for kindly sending this report of the meeting.
The Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers
Perivale Park is blessed with two rivers. To the south runs the river Brent and in the south-west its tributary Costons Brook. Today I learnt about two recent events involving cleaning up these waterways. Richard Spencer-Smith sent me the following descriptions of the activities of the Gurnell-Greenford Greenwayers.
Perivale Park activity in January
The Greenford to Gurnell Greenway is well under way in the park. A new path is starting construction, heading off to a brand new bridge across the river Brent. This will help complete a circular pathway around the entire park, and no doubt encourage those quarter marathon runners (two circuits?).
A LIDAR map of Perivale Park.
LIDAR (light and RADAR map) is a 3D mapping technique that detects surface features which are not otherwise discernible from the ground. One of the Ealing park rangers (thanks James!) pointed me to this site; https://houseprices.io/lab/lidar/map?ref=TQ15148280 which provides a postcode based map of UK LIDAR data. Here it is for Perivale Park.
Trees for Cities Perivale Planting (+ double rainbow as a bonus).
Trees for Cities is a charity which mobilizes armies of volunteers to go plant trees. Today, it was the turn of Perivale Park, part of the new Greenford to Gurnell Greenway project.
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Sunrise in Perivale Park.
You obviously have to be up fairly early to see this aspect of the Park. Here is sunrise on the morning of November 14, 2018 at ~07.10 am.
Greenford to Gurnell Leisure Centre Greenway
I have previously mentioned this flagship plan by Ealing council for enhancing the Perivale Park area. Today the plan was published, along with an invitation for people to comment. I do urge anyone reading this to do so!
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First London National Park City Network Forum.
Next year the London National Park City launches in July. As a prelude, the first forum, or get together of some of the many organisations in London that promote it with the ethos of a national park took place on November 7th. Perivale Park was represented on this occasion by the RedGreen Group, a small local residents group which, with the participation of Ealing council, is in the process of enhancing the park with spring bulb and summer fruit plantings as an adjunct to the major Greenford to Gurnell Greenway scheme which is helping to transforming the area.
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Station walks (relaunched) from South Greenford station.
You can now plan your visit to Perivale Park by browsing the newly re-launched London National Park City station walks map. There are currently four walks starting from South Greenford (SG) station radiating out in the four compass directions.
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