January Roundup

Will this rain ever cease!

January 2016 has certainly been a very wet month for everybody and our park has become a muddy quagmire over the last few months.
Pathways have become boggy and muddy, water everywhere and even the seasonal pond has been overflowing practically every day since November, even one or two trees have toppled over.
However a little rain cannot stop the FOCBP and other organisations from getting our heads down and carrying on.

Our friends from the NEAT team are still working in the park, this time they are helping us on the BMX track project which has been laid out and is now being constructed, and they have also been involved with clearing pathways around the football pitches and second woodland areas of the park.
These will be tidied up in due course and hopefully it will make things better and easier under foot for everyone once the park dries out.
The team have also dug a trench alongside the pathway into second woods from near the Rugby pitch entrance. This is to help with drainage issues in that area.
If you are using the park we advise sensible walking footwear and to be careful as it is slippery underfoot with all the mud. But the main pathways are ok underfoot.

BMX Track

BMX Track

Cleared walkway Bottom Football Field

Drainage and Hardcore for pathway access

NEAT Team at work

Our volunteers have been out cutting back the brambles in the second woods to help with the Bluebells, but again the weather has slowed us up, and the milder climate seems to be helping one or two plants that don't normally grow at this time of year start to flower and bud early.
So we have our fingers crossed that we are going to be able to get to any undergrowth just in case the bluebells decide to put on an early show.


Access to the boardwalk has been improved as volunteers have made a concrete step which should help any wheelchair users get on to it a bit easier. As there was a slight step up originally.
All we need now is for the pathways to dry sufficiently to improve access overall.

No more step up on to the Boardwalk

Other News

We had a very disturbing case of animal cruelty in the park and many people were shocked to hear the news of these three poor shaved cats.

(click on the links to display stories)

http://www.llanellistar.co.uk/Llanelli-vets-appeal-cats-shaved-abandoned-park/story-28534832-detail/story.html

But we have recently been informed that they are now on their way to new homes.

http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/New-home-cats-shaved-whiskers-chopped-dumped-park/story-28616801-detail/story.html


And we have received a nice message of support from Welsh AM Rebecca Evans, after several of FOCBP attended a meeting with City and County of Swansea Councillors at the Brangwyn Hall who recognised the impact our group was making within our own community following on from our Fields in Trust Award.

http://www.rebeccaevans4gower.com/latest-news/rebecca-evans-congratulates-coed-bach-park

But as usual we need more volunteers to come forward to help us carry the FOCBP into the future. If you have anything to offer please contact us as we would love to hear from you. And of course we would welcome you with open arms.
Monthly meetings are held on the last Wednesday of every month at 7.30pm at the Pontarddulais Cricket Club.

Phil Davies from Keep Wales Tidy has moved onto pastures new and welcome his replacement Kathryn Britton.
We would like to thank Phil for all his efforts over the last few years and we will miss him.

We currently have a few members of our team writing monthly articles for the SA4 Magazine which you can find in most public places throughout the Swansea area. But we need more Coed Bach Park related articles from you.
If you would like to help contribute please contact us through our email (top of this blog) or via our other social media sites as we would love to discuss any ideas with you.

As usual we are on Facebook and Twitter and to find us you can click on the tabs at the top of this blog.

Hope to hear from you soon.

October News

Our next monthly meeting will be held on the 29th October at 7.30pm in Pontarddulais Cricket Club.

Our winter work programmes have resumed and we are happy to welcome two new members. Dillwyn and Virginia. Who have put on their gloves stuck on their wellies and are getting stuck into the place :-)
You may have noticed that there are a few new bins around the top football pitch and we have some benches (which we have just painted) that will be placed around the place shortly.
As usual a big thank you to the City and County of Swansea for obtaining these for us.
And we have been busy around the rugby club hard standing area clearing the bushes and trees area to give you a better view of the seasonal pond. And our usual bit of adding chip bark to the pathways to keep things topped up.

New member Virginia (Left) and Christine. (Dillwyn is camera shy.....I Shall get him again :-)

On Sunday 19th Ocotber Teifion held a second Fungi Foray around the park, and once again the park gave up it's little secrets.

Everybody who attended learnt a lot and really enjoyed the event.

But sadly for the cooks among us we came across nothing edible.

 (click on the images to enlarge)

Merry Christmas

We at Friends of Coed Bach Park would like to wish all our supporters and Park users a Very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

In January 2014 we will begin Phase 2 of the Seasonal ponds project.

Please watch this space for further events and feel free to join us.

Seasonal Ponds Day 4

Not much to report today as weather wise it has not turned out to be the nicest. But the workers and volunteers (More needed please!) are now on site.
As you can see below the ponds are now starting to take shape and the team are expecting wildlife to flourish in this are next year.

"It looks like somebody has taken a clump of clay and is now forming the sculpture"

The ponds are forming.

Pond are from 2nd woods.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendsofcoedbachpark/sets/72157637441654904/ Our Flickr page.

Seasonal Ponds Day 3

There were plenty of people on site this morning moving and cutting bits of tree and anything else they could lay their hands on.
Also a new drainage pipe was added by the pathway in the 2nd wood and we had the big guns in today with a tractor and chipping machine. And more importantly the weather was spot on :-)

A big thank you to all that helped especially all those that had travelled from Swansea we hope we can repay you one day.

By the time I arrived on site everyone was having a well earned break (just in case your wondering why there is no one in their machinery)

Removing tree stumps in the boating lake.

The Chipping Machine

Now people in the swings can keep an eye on their kids on the BMX track.

Pond drainage.

Brodie hopes this is not a permanent obstacle on his walk (It Isn't)

Volunteering is about friendship and making new friends (and FUN)

Break time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendsofcoedbachpark/sets/ 

Flickr Images.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendsofcoedbachpark/sets/72157637419428975/ Todays images.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendsofcoedbachpark/10730132943/in/set-72157637419428975 Video view from the swings.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendsofcoedbachpark/10730043426/in/set-72157637419428975 Video Tractor at work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendsofcoedbachpark/10730424683/in/set-72157637419428975 Video Pathway workers.

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubliee Fields in Trust status.

Come and join us and the Pontarddulais Play Scheme in the Park on Wednesday 30th October between 2pm and 4pm when we will be celebrating the Park receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubliee Fields in Trust status.

 

Also Coed Bach Park has been submitted for a Getting Active on a Fields in Trust Site Award so fingers crossed that we will be successful.

 

For more information please contact the Secretary Christine Thomas on 07890416892 or email milgi@talktalk.net

Upcoming Events

Please click on the posters to enlarge.

News Update

Last weekend saw our second Bird walk which was led by bird expert Martin Humphreys.
Again this was a great success with everybody coming away having learnt something about how our feathered friends use the woodlands in the park.
We also gave our new banner it's first public unveiling.

Our resident Blogger/Photographer Martin Hanson (Left trying to keep his eyes open at 6.30am) next to the banner  which was designed by V Fuge.

And at last the Bluebells are popping up in the Second woods (Hooray!!!!) just a little more warmth and we should have a lovely blanket of them.
A big thanks Win and Viv (and anybody else I left out) for all their efforts in clearing the woods.
And as usual we thank the Swansea City Council lad's and management for keeping us topped up with chip bark to keep the pathways in good condition. And also to Bob and Jason for their superb efforts as well in helping to maintain the pathways. 

Bluebells popping up everywhere.

Breakfast with the birds

No excuses we want everybody out of bed early for this :-)

April Update.

We have been rather busy around the park and in other places over the last few weeks so we thought we should keep you informed of our progress.

For the last month we have been exhibiting the Friends Of The Park group at the Pontarddulais Library and we have received a few nice comments of our work around the park.
A big thank's to Sarah and the girls at the library for allowing us to show ourselves off.
And we have a pamphlet in circulation which can be viewed on the Pontarddulais Town Council Web site.

http://www.pontarddulaistowncouncil.gov.uk/Core/Pontarddulais-Tc/UserFiles/Files/Coedbach%20pamphlet.pdf

Exhibition Comments.

The Pontarddulais Comprehensive school is also undertaking a study of the Bluebells in the 2nd Woods area and also the School Camera Club (with assistance from our blogger/photographer) are involved in documenting this project so we hope to have some nice images taken from the kid's point of view soon.

The Pontarddulais Comprehensive School Bluebell Study Group

Also Still Walks has been busy in the park with a project with the Primary School this exhibition was held in the Canolfan Y Bont.
http://stillwalks.wordpress.com/sights-and-sounds-of-the-countryside/
Please watch the Raining in the Woods video it's a superb little video.

At 3pm on Tuesday April 9th there will be a walk around the park with FOTP members.
(Sian Musgrove the Ecologist who is going to draw up a Management Plan, Simon Lydiard and Geraint from C & C Swansea. Mark Barber Amphibian Consultant)
This is to do with the Countryside Connections grant about seasonal ponds.
Everybody is welcome please meet by the tennis courts.

We have also been busy clearing a big area in 2nd woods for the bluebells thank's to the usual members who's efforts we are always grateful for. (well done lads and ladies we will buy you all a pint sometime)
Images to follow shortly.
And also thanks to Jason Heir (and the CC County of Swansea Boys for supplying us with a pipe) who has been a massive help in dealing with a leaking pipe by the wooden bridge. We can all cross the path with dry feet.

And dont forget!!!!!!!!!!!!

Knotweed (Before Treatment)

Here are some images of the Knotweed problem.

This growth is by the lower football field and it shows how dense and the height the knotweed is. (Over 9ft). 

This area used to be used to stage a community bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night back in the 70's early 80's.

And somewhere in here is an old abandoned car.