A dozen of us attended the first meeting of the planning group on Sunday. it was fun getting to know each other and exploring the site together. Tess encouraged us to walk the boundaries of the space, with eyes and ears open to the sights and sounds of this open space. Many of us were surprised at the range of trees, hedges and ground plants and the resources that will be available to us. Thanks to Jenny for her skills in guiding us to identify many of these – not an easy task in the depths of winter – which also provided a great way for the children present to have such an enthusiastic role in the activities. Tess introduced us to the principles of permaculture and how we will use these in our plans for a good design that will provide sustainable benefits for people and nature in the park. Special thanks also to Pam and the team at the Community Centre f at the Community Centre for giving up their time to allow us to meet in the coffee lounge.

The Committee has begun our work to develop plans for 2022. Please take a look at the attached poster describing the fortnightly events beginning on 16 January. Come along to help to develop design options for the proposed Community Garden and ideas for the wider environmental improvements to the fields. These are being run by permaculture expert Tess Wilmot, who has successfully led several similar ventures in Plymouth and South Devon. If you are interested in attending some or all of these sessions, please contact Tess digfordevonport@hotmail.co.uk

We held a useful site meeting with PCC officers Caroline Rowntree (Natural Infrastructure) and Colin Johnson (Parks and Street Services). We discussed some of the most obvious future improvements that we hope to see. In the upper field, this includes improved access from the Community Centre path, replanting hedges and new specimen trees. Most of the hedge near the Community Centre have been destroyed. This field has an arboretum function, with considerable wildlife benefits in the hedges. We discussed the desire to keep the open aspect of the lower field; the revised mowing policy will be welcomed to provide benefits for wildlife alongside some close cut paths and areas. It would be good to begin work on maintenance of the orchard trees this winter. Tess Wilmot explained the sessions that she will be running in the new year to help develop ideas for this space, incorporating the proposed community garden. We will now be recognised as an official member of the network of Friends of Parks groups and will be allocated a liaison person who will help is to develop our plans.

A General Meeting was held on 29 November, attended by 20 people.

Anna Dias gave a summary of the background to the Community Garden proposal. She explained her vision of how the project that would provide great benefits to the local community, especially for mental health and wellbeing. It is supported by the local GP surgeries and it is hoped the approach will link with the possible integration of health services in Plymstock. Sian Lane is the coordinator for the project.

Tess Wilmot explained the principles behind the “bottom-up” approach of community involvement in surveying the land and designing possible approaches to designing a plan for the site. She plans to run several 3 hour sessions in the New Year/early spring in which members can learn some of the principles of permaculture to come up with a design plan. She has used this approach successfully in several previous ventures, notably working with the Collings Park Trust.

Colin Munn gave an outline of results from the online survey and informal discussions with local residents and park users. This developed into a general discussion which echoed these findings. People feel strongly that we need to ensure protection of this open space from encroachment of further building development. People like the natural “countryside” feel of the fields, and are anxious that this is maintained. There were some differences of opinion about the lack of regular mowing in the bottom field. Most people felt that the Council’s “mowing for nature” policy is beneficial to provide habitats for insects, birds and wildlife, but a more nuanced approach would improve the situation — with a better balance between managed and unmanaged areas. The problems of access were discussed. Members felt strongly about closure of the footpath from Horn Lane during development of the housing on the former Downham School site. It was only after considerable pressure that a gate was provided from Sackville Close. The biggest problem is the lack of easy access from the Broadway Car Park. This results in the fields being invisible to many people. One of the most urgent needs is Improvement to the path alongside the wall to the west of the Community Centre. This could possibly be linked with repair of the stone wall, which is falling onto the Centre’s land. Pam Mills (chair of the Community Centre) said she has been pursuing this for over a year with no success so far. Members feel that there needs to be a careful balance between providing sufficient accessibility and maintaining the natural ambiance of the site: too much hard paving will greatly spoil the site. The closure of the paths directly adjacent to the Community Centre and Venton Centre was questioned: this had been necessary for security reasons. Heather Stenning said that she thought the path alongside the Venton Centre could be opened during the daytime for specific activities and events, as occurred during the recent Apple Pressing Day.

Colin Munn then explained the outcome of preliminary discussions with Councillor Rebecca Smith and the Natural Infrastructure team at PCC. They were very supportive of our aims but stressed that effective liaison depends on our (re)establishing a formal structure and Constitution. Membership applications were completed and the proposed Constitution was accepted unanimously. The following members were elected to the Management Committee: Jim Greenaway, Gillian Stevens, Nigel Jackson, Terry Phillips, Sam Rebeiro, and Colin Munn. It was agreed that the Committee will work closely with Sian Lane, Heather Stenning, Pam Mills, and Tess Wilmot as key stakeholders; they will be invited to attend relevant Committee meetings.

Other points during discussion included

• ideas for an early public event in the Spring (e.g. litter picking or plant/wildlife survey) to encourage people to find out about the site and our plans.
• seasonal activities such as guided walks, nature surveys etc. – try to get involvement of local schools and playgroups.
• a key drive to include involvement of young people in the design process and future use of the park.

Monday 29 November, 5.00 – 6.30 pm at the Venton Centre (Age Concern UK, top of Broadway car park)

Your views are important! Can you help to develop plans for the site? Perhaps you would like to join us in nature surveys, planting, and maintenance. Maybe you have family members with a keen interest in environmental issues or community involvement — this a great opportunity to volunteer and gain experience. Whatever your interests and abilities, you’ll be very welcome.
For more info visit http://www.downhornpark.uk or email friends.dhp@gmail.com

[COVID 19 precautions: The meeting will be held in a large well-ventilated room with social distancing. We respectfully ask you to use hand sanitizer and wear a mask on entry.]

Draft Agenda

• Welcome and introductions (Anna Dias)
• Background to proposals for community garden and wider aspects of use of the fields (Anna Dias/Heather Stenning/Colin Munn) 
• Summary of the design process/funding for the Community Garden (Tess Willmot/Sian Lane)
• Discussion of key priorities and liaison with Council (Colin Munn)
• Discuss proposed Constitution for the group (dependent on how we wish to proceed)
• Election of Committee

Tess Wilmot has been engaged by the Primary Care Network to lead the development of plans for the Community Garden project. Tess is a freelance facilitator, project designer and events organiser. She is an expert in the fields of permaculture, edible landscapes, community growing and community involvement. Tess is passionate about inspiring individuals, communities, groups and organisations to learn about and apply these principles. She has led many community projects and urban regeneration initiatives in Plymouth and the South Hams, notably Dig for Devonport, All Ways Apples Festival and the Beacon Garden Project.

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… and the sun shone! After downpours on Thursday, we were lucky to be able to bring the apple pressing equipment onto to the lower field. We had a steady stream of visitors, several of whom were unaware of the fields and their value to the community. We attracted lots of interest for the Community Garden project and wider plans. Thanks to Tess and her team, for a great afternoon.