Allestree Park in Derby, England, is the largest and most scenic
of the City’s parks. Although lying on the northern boundary of the city of Derby, it merges
with the attractive hilly countryside of the south Peak District
fringe. Much of the Park is a golf course, but there are a multitude of
different wildlife habitats ranging from woodland to the large lake.
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
Bracken in Big Wood, 20th July 2010
by Bill Grange
The Park was laid out in the late 18th century, when the present Hall w
as
built. The Hall is now largely empty - being the subject of several
abandoned schemes in recent years, one of them being a nature museum.
The Park is largely used for quiet recreation by Derby’s people, with a
variety of interesting walks, including a nature trail. It is easy to
get away from it all in this splendid park and it is difficult to
realise when walking in its woodlands and meadows that it lies within
the boundary of an industrial city.
There is a wealth of wildlife in the Park, including several county
rarities. This variety is partly the result of a varied underlying
geology.
The Friends of Allestree Park group was founded in 2005 and is
open to anyone who is interested in Allestree Park, its conservation,
educational and recreational value.
As well as liaising with Derby City Council, which owns and runs the
Park, the Friends have organised a programme of events, including
talks, activity days for young people, nature walks and conservation
work parties. The latter have included tackling the alien and invasive Himalayan
balsam and rhododendron, cleaning out debris from part of the Lake and working with Derbyshire Conservation Volunteers in restoring the main footpath through Big Wood and installing an impressive flight of steps.
We have instigated the clearing of a large amount of invasive sycamore from part
of Big Wood, carried out by members of Broomfield College and followed it by making a start on replanting with native shrubs and trees.
A more unusual project was painting a tree mural on a previously graffiti-blighted pumping house on the Lake shore, to make it blend with its surroundings.
We also mounted a successful campaign to save the animal pens near the Hall from closure and prevent the scrapping of the permanent on-site ranger service.
Our Former Chairman, Alex Kilpatrick
We are sure that all who knew him will be greatly saddened to hear that Alex Kilpatrick, the first Chairman of the Friends of Allestree Park, passed away on 12th January, 2009, being diagnosed with a brain tumour the previous year. Alex was really the founder of the Friends and has been the driving force behind many of our projects, being an inspiration to us all with his enthusiasm and warm sense of humour. Many more tributes to Alex can be seen by clicking on the arrow:
LATEST:
Problems in the Park? Then please 'phone the following as appropriate:
Park Rangers 01332 367800 every day, including weekends, from 9am until 9.30pm.
Police: Allestree Safer Neighbourhood Team - non-emergency number: 0345 123 33 33 (Obviously if serious 'phone 999!)
E-mail the team:
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There has been a spate of serious vandalism (July, 2010) in the Park. We need everyone to be vigilant and report any suspicious or damaging activities immediately.
July, 2010: Planning Application Affecting Allestree Park. Some good news! Click on 'News and Comments', then 'News Items'at top left.
Spring, 2010:
Work on Main Footpath Through Big Wood
We are very pleased to announce that the work of defining the main path through Big Wood with logs, a task started in September 2008, was completed on Sunday 21st March 2010. It was carried out by Derbyshire Conservation. Volunteers, working with The Friends of Allestree Park and members of the public. The new path, which links the car park here to a flight of steps (also the work of D.C.V. and F.O.A.P.) down to the golf course, will minimise the former excessive trampling which was threatening the survival of the bluebells and other flora. We would be very pleased if you can try to keep to the path, especially during the spring and early summer. There is an illustrated report of the project under 'news and comments' - in menu, top left.
Work on Allestree Lake
Visitors to
the park will notice improvement work taking place around the lake.
This is to combat bank erosion and to improve public access. Work has been
carried out by the British Trust for Conservation
Volunteers, to provide bank reinforcement and a platform at the duck feeding
area.
The organisation Groundwork have provided bank reinforcement works elsewhere on both upper and lower lakes, using different
methods and working with members of the public.
This work is
part of the Wild About Ponds Project funded by the SITA Trust and Derby City Council's
WildDerby Project, in partnership with Derby City Pond Wardens
Association.
Click on button for more information
The dipping session in the ornamental (turtle) pool near the Hall, on 26th June, was very successful in the degree of enthusiasm shown by the
many children (and parents) who turned up. The pond could have yielded more life forms - but we found an interesting array of creatures. To see Steve Plant's excellent pictures of what we found - go to the Nature Diary (click on duck button below).
Further Activities, Summer 2010 - click on 'Forthcoming Events List' - top left for further details:
Come along to Allestree Park on Thursday 29th July at 11.00am and try out a beginner’s health walk:
Walk lasts no longer than 30 minutes.
All you need are sensible shoes, sun cream and a hat, or a coat.
Meet Mike Day, Park Ranger in the car park, A6 entrance.
This is Part of Love Parks Week (24th July - 1st August) and has been arranged by Derby City Council's Parks Department
Friends of Allestree Park Events (see 'Forthcoming Events List for more details):
The Friends of Allestree Park - Long-term Plan.
We have produced a plan of what we want to achieve in the five years from 2010 to 2015. Click on the item 'FOAP Long-term Plan' in the menu list at top left of this page. Please read it and see what you think of it.
