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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The Greenford-Gurnell Greenway starts to take shape.

Over the last week, a short stretch of Coston’s brook as it runs through Perivale Park has been transformed. The brook rises in the industrial estates north of the A40 in west Greenford and for its short course it emerges from culverts and then openly runs through the park before joining the river Brent close to  Greenford Bridge. For much of the last 30 years or so, its course through the park has been lined with impenetrable blackthorn. Although these produce delightful blossom in the spring, the blackthorn was effectively blocking access to the brook.

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A survey of the plant ( + bee & spider) life in Perivale West Meadows.

The Greenford to Gurnell Greenway is a project to transform underused and disconnected green space along the river Brent in West London connecting Greenford town centre to Gurnell Leisure centre. It is one of six initiatives to improve green spaces as part of the London National Park City project.

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Nicky Hopkins Memorial Bench in Perivale Park.

On September 8th at 12.00, a memorial will be unveiled in Perivale Park to Nicky Hopkins (“Rock’s Greatest Session Man“) He was a famous session musician who played with many of the greats of the 1960s onwards such as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Garfunkel and many others.

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Perivale Park, August 18th, 2018.

There was finally some rain last week, and the cosmos in particular have picked themselves up.
A dead tree seems even more petrified, nay ghostly, than usual!

A bridge across Coston’s brook always has a hop plant growing on it, and this year’s harvest looks particularly enticing!
Meanwhile, the main wildflower planting area never did get going this year, apart from a small patch in the centre, which although stunted, has some colour.

Perivale Park, July 28, 2018.

After two months of no rain, several people I know performed rain dances last night. The result was much thunder and a great deal of heavy rain – everywhere except Perivale Park! Despite that, the spring wild flower plantings are still looking great – I guess they must all be pretty draught tolerant. Here are some photos taken this morning.


The RedGreen group project.

Groundwork UK is a charity that aims to re-connect people with nature and transform whole neighbourhoods. They provide grants under an “Our Space” awards scheme for small-scale community projects. A group of locals meet in Perivale Park every week under the “everyone active” scheme (https://www.everyoneactive.com/centre/perivale-park-athletics-track/ ) to take gentle exercise in the athletics track there. During the summer, when the track is often used for schools sports days, we decamp to the park proper. Last year from this viewpoint we watched as the wild flower meadows blossomed. This is of course so much more in the park, including a wide variety of trees and shrubs. We also noticed that an old bowling green had become neglected these last few years and the Our Space award seemed a wonderful chance for us to do something about it and provide a new amenity in the neighbourhood.

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New green spaces for the banks of the River Brent.

The banks of the river Brent close to Perivale Park in London are about to be enhanced with reed beds, wetlands, meadows, woodland and orchards. This is a fantastic new local resource for the area! Photographs of the existing fields will appear here shortly and as the development proceeds more will be added to illustrate how the transformation is proceeding.

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