December Bulletin

This year has been a lively one, full of music, wildlife and learning. From family events and talks to concerts, surveys and bat-watching, Friends and volunteers have been busy making Greenwich Park an even more welcoming and inspiring place.
Even in December, the Park has been buzzing with improvements. We have seen the renovation of a waterfall in the Rockery near the Blackheath Gates and - if you haven’t spotted them already - the spectacular wood carvings in the Dell and below One Tree Hill.
There is much to look forward to and enjoy in our beautiful Park in the coming year. We wish all our friends and supporters a very happy and healthy Christmas and New Year.

Best wishes
Tina Challacombe
Chair, Friends of Greenwich Park

And here's what we've been up to in 2025.
They are the calendar dates none of us wants to miss - our summer programme of Friends’ concerts. Clive Corlett, who organises these events, said: 'This year’s programme began with Midsummer Jazz on a glorious June day in the Royal Observatory Garden, featuring the South London Jazz Orchestra. It was a sell-out, with good reason.'
The newly restored bandstand hosted ten free concerts, featuring two bands new to the Park this year, and attracted large audiences of around 800 people. Clive added: 'They were great events, with audiences dancing and enjoying a wide variety of musical styles.' The Friends made a significant contribution of £25,000 towards the bandstand renovation, helping to secure its future for years to come.
The Wildlife Group had a very active year, with events that followed the seasons. Three popular family days were held jointly with the Park in the new Learning Centre, each attracting around 400 people. Activities ranged from seed sowing to bat-themed creativity, and amphibian and reptile surveys. By late summer, newts, frogs and toads had already been found — an encouraging sign and a strong foundation for more surveys in 2026. Tree and bird walks and talks on butterflies, bees, fungi and bats were very well supported.
Clare Hatcher, Head of the Wildlife Committee, said: 'Our wildlife talks were inspired by beautiful butterflies, wild bees, spectacular fungi and resident bats. It was a special thrill to see and hear bats flying en masse over the lake in the Flower Garden at dusk. Thank you to Mark Pritchard and all the volunteers who have made this possible.'
Learning was also central to this year’s programme. We held several poetry writing and reading sessions with our poet-in-residence Jack Cooper. Four history talks were delivered, concluding with archaeologist Andrew Mayfield’s talk on December 20. All were well attended and warmly received. The annual lecture was another highlight; fascinating, well attended, and delivered by Andrew Scattergood, CEO of The Royal Parks. 
We'd also like to say thank you to our volunteers who delivered hundreds of newsletters by hand. Katherine Bohanna, who organises this monumental task, said: 'A huge thank you to them for their hard work. And to let them know we are organising a small party in June to recognise this. 
'We know the value of a good walk - and if there’s anyone out there who might be interested in becoming one of our valued deliverers please please do get in touch. We need you.'
As the year turned towards winter, Friends and volunteers gathered for the second annual wreath-making workshop on December 6. Stepping away from the madness of the month, the workshops offered a moment of quiet enjoyment and great satisfaction, with guidance from volunteers Harriet and Penny. Beautiful wreaths were made using cuttings from the Park, collected by Park rangers and staff - for which we are very grateful.
 Tiffany Flynn, FoGP Secretary, who organised the event, said: 'The blue fir was abundant, the creativity was flowing and the atmosphere was wonderfully warm. Thank you to all our members who participated, and to our wonderful volunteers for their inspiration and joy.'
Behind the scenes, steady work continued to keep the Friends running smoothly. Rob Toogood, Membership Secretary, is grateful to those members who have updated their contact details, especially their email addresses. He said: 'While an email address is not essential, without one we are unable to send the monthly bulletin.'
And thank you to all members who have rescheduled their subscription payments to January 1.
A final thought. If you need a last-minute Christmas gift, Friends' membership - at £20 for a family - would be an excellent choice, particularly with the discounts available in Park cafés and local businesses.

Tom's Winter garden

It may be the darkest few weeks of the year, but that isn't holding us back on the ground, writes Head Gardener Tom Brown.
You'll notice that in every corner of the Park there is something exciting happening. We have had an expert hedge layer on the playground hawthorn hedge. Hedge-laying is an ancient craft which is becoming lost through modern fencing and wire. Laying improves the hedge's health, creates a better environment for wildlife and has a beautiful finish when woven neatly together. The conservation volunteers are using this material to create dead hedges around the Park and are focusing their efforts around the Dell.
In the Dell we have also had Shane, a master craftsman in wood carving, at work. I implore you to visit these new sculptures as they have made a big impact on the space. We have made significant progress in the removal of the failing Edwardian border rhododendrons and will soon start the replanting programme. We will be using Nerium oleander which will be evergreen, have a long season of flowering interest and most importantly, will be extremely climate resilient. Also, in the Flower Garden we have planted new trees which will be a feature in lieu of the seasonal bedding beds. My personal favourites are Koelreuteria and Albizia, both with climate resilience and a fantastic floral display. 
We have also made a huge leap in renovating the Rockery, with lots of exciting new planting, landscaping, and the cascade waterfall being fully restored. Keep an eye out for Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku', Pinus nigra 'Brepo' and Pinus sylvestris 'Watereri', all of which are looking striking even in the dreary weather we have been having.
The Blackheath Avenue border will also be replanted with more Hydrangea quercifolia, Prunus incisa 'Kojo-no-mai' and another favourite of mine - a scented autumn flowering camellia, Camellia sasanqua.
I wish you all a good festive break and a very Happy New Year.

Oh come, all ye wordsmiths

Calling young poets! The Friends are running a competition for young people to write poems celebrating the Park we all love. 

The competition will be launched on January 12 with two groups: 12 and under, and 13 to 18. It will be judged by Jack Cooper, our poet-in-residence, and representatives of the Friends. Winners will be invited to read their poems at a Greenwich Park event and the winning poems will be published in the bulletin. Keep an eye out for full details in January.

Children's playground

The children's playground by the boating pond is closing for a few weeks for essential repairs early in the New Year. It will be shut from January 5 and will reopen in the Spring. The work will include the replacement of decking across the playground, the resurfacing of some paths and new play huts. The space will also benefit from more wildlife-friendly planting and some new seating. The nearest alternative to the playground will be the play areas offered by the National Maritime Museum.

We'll see less of Moore

HENRY Moore's sculpture, Figure on a Knife Edge, is going on loan to Kew Gardens for the summer.
The bronze, officially 'Standing Figure: Knife Edge', will be leaving us next month to be cleaned before becoming part of a once-in-a-generation presentation of Moore artworks. Opening in May, 'Henry Moore: Monumental Nature', represents the largest and most comprehensive showcase of Moore’s work to date, featuring 30 works across Kew’s landscape and inside the Temperate House. A statement from the Park said: 'We are looking forward to its return towards the end of the year/early in 2027.'  All the details of the exhibition are here.

Join our Bird Walk
Julia Holland will lead the next Bird Walk on Sunday, December 28. Meet at the Blackheath Gate at 8.30am. There is no need to book, but bring binoculars if you have them. The walks last approximately two hours.