Next Meeting, Thursday 5 December 2024, 7pm

The Ladywell Fields User Group (or the 'Friends Group') will meet at 7.00pm on Thursday 5 December in the Community Hub meeting space, Church Grove, Ladywell.

We will discuss our successful Tree Council bid and the volunteering sessions required to plant new saplings in the north field.  It has also been confirmation that a Glendale representative will attend.

Do come along and help us ensure a wide range of park user views are heard.  

The meeting space is at the far end of Church Grove.  Follow to the path between the old and new buildings, the entrance is at the back.  There is no car parking available at the venue.  

Unfortunately, we have been notified that Lucy Houliston is not available for her planned presentation on urban orchards and insect conservation.  We will be inviting her to our next meeting instead.  

Orchard volunteering session, Saturday 16 November 2024, 10.30am

There will be another volunteer session at the community orchard on Saturday 16th November, starting at 10.30am. We have some trees to plant, including an Ashmead's Kernel apple tree to complete the new row that we started planting last year. It would also be good to resolve any rubbing from stakes and guards on the other trees as we enter the dormant season.

Join us in the orchard at the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Under 16s only with close supervision. Boots and old clothes are recommended as it will probably be muddy. Please bring your own gloves if you have them, but some will also be available to borrow.

Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to postpone due to wet weather.  

Next Meeting and AGM, Wed 11 Sept 2024, 7pm

Just a quick reminder that the Ladywell Fields User Group (a.k.a. 'the 'Friends Group') will meet at 7.00pm on Wednesday 11 September in the Community Hub meeting space.  (Follow the path along the brick wall at the end of Church Grove, Ladywell, to the outbuilding with the slanted roof). 

At the start of the meeting we will complete Annual General Meeting (AGM) business - i.e. election of committee officers, re-adoption of the Constitution and receipt of the Chair's annual report.

If you'd be interested in serving on the LFUG committee during 2024/25, please email your interest to ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk

Please come along and help us ensure a wide range of park user views are heard!

Orchard volunteering session, Saturday 7 September 2024, 10.30am

There will be another volunteer session at the community orchard on Saturday 7 September, starting at 10.30am. This time we shall be working alongside Nature's Gym who are holding a session in Iona orchard. We will check trees for broken branches, look for pests and diseases, resolve any rubbing from stakes and guards, and cut comfrey. There may even still be some fruit to harvest, although it is disappearing fast!

Join us in the orchard which is at the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Under 16s only with close supervision. Boots and old clothes are recommended as the grass is currently long. I have asked for it to be mown before our session, but this may or may not happen. Bring your own gloves, and secateurs if you have them, but some will also be available to borrow.

Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to postpone due to wet weather.  

Park User Group 'walkabout' meeting, Tuesday 25 June 2024, 6pm

Rain forced us to call off the meeting on 13 June, so we've rearranged it for Tuesday 25 June at the earlier time of 6.00pm (finishing at 7.45pm to accommodate the England footie fans amongst us).

Meet at the cafe in the north field (the Ladywell end) at 5.55pm.  We'll stroll south to the Catford end of the Park and then back, stopping as necessary to flag maintenance issues and things that might be done to improve the Park.

See you there!

Next Meeting is a Walk in the Park, Thursday 13 June 2024, 7pm

Our annual 'walkabout in the Park' (meeting) will take place next Thursday 13 June. We'll meet at 7.00pm by the cafe in the northern field and mosey at a leisurely pace south to the Catford end of the Park and then back, stopping as necessary to flag maintenance issues and things that might be done, in partnership, to improve the Park further.

Biodiversity research project in the orchard

This month, some exciting ecological research is being conducted in Ladywell Fields to help us better understand the importance of London's urban orchards for conserving wildlife and capturing carbon from the atmosphere.

The study, designed in collaboration with The Orchard Project, is being led by Royal Holloway, University of London MSc student, Lucy Houliston. Lucy plans to visit our orchard a couple of times over the next few weeks to sample its plant, bee, and ground beetle communities (if you spot her pottering around the park with her insect net, do go and say hello)!

On Monday, she’ll be installing ten cup-sized, ground-based beetle traps (known as 'pitfall traps') in various locations around the orchard and leaving them in place for one week. Do keep an eye out for the tops of these traps sticking out of the ground—each one will be marked with a bright orange flag so it's easy to avoid tripping over or stepping on any of them!

Although the traps will be marked and positioned away from the main paths, we ask that you take extra care when moving around the orchard during this time and avoid touching any traps that you do come across. Information signs will be displayed around the site while the traps are in place so you can learn more about the work.

If you have any further questions, feel free to drop Lucy an email at Lucy.Houliston.2020@live.rhul.ac.uk.

Tree care this summer season

There are quite a lot of young trees in the fields which will only survive with regular watering during the dry periods this summer. This includes some of the black poplar saplings, two of which had been lost already. We are looking to set up a team of friendly volunteers to share the work.  Sessions are scheduled for occasional weekday evenings, according to weather.  Join us, find out more about Ladywell Fields, meet the other volunteers and make sure the young trees grow roots in your local park. Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if you can help.

Next Meeting, Wednesday 27 March 2024, 7pm

An ordinary meeting of the Ladywell Fields User Group will take place at 7.00 p.m. on Wednesday 27 March 2024 at the RUSS Community Hub Building at the far end of Church Grove, Ladywell, London SE13.

 On the Agenda:  

PARKS MANAGEMENT ISSUES (Green Flag Management Plan, Flooding in the south field, Southern playground equipment, Vehicles within the park, unauthorised activity in the park, Respectful use of shared spaces)

FINANCES AND SOCIAL MEDIA 

VOLUNTEERING AND EVENTS UPDATE (Tiny Forest, Tree Keepers’ sessions, Community orchard, Ladywell Society’s Folk/Fusion Festival)

All interested park users welcome. 

Orchard volunteering session, Sunday 3 March 2024, 10.30am

There will be another volunteer session at the community orchard on Sunday 3rd March, 10.30 -12.30. We shall be finishing the winter pruning and mulching. Rendezvous in the orchard which is at the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Boots and old clothes recommended. Under 16s only with close supervision. Bring your own gloves, and secateurs if you have them, but some will also be available to borrow. 

Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to cancel due to wet weather.  

Orchard volunteering session, Sat 3 Feb 2024, 10.30am

There will be another volunteer session at the community orchard on Saturday 3rd February, 10.30 -12.30. We shall be doing winter jobs: pruning, weeding, mulching and checking guards and posts. Rendezvous in the orchard which is at the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Boots and old clothes recommended. Under 16s only with close supervision. Bring your own gloves and secateurs if you have them, but some will also be available to borrow. 

Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to cancel due to wet weather.  

New trees for our community orchard

We started 2024 by planting three new apples trees in the orchard. They are heritage varieties--Rosemary Russet, James Grieve and Ellison's Orange--all on MM106 rootstock, which is semi vigorous and means they will match the height of the other trees in time. They replace the Avalon plum trees which sadly, we lost as a result of the 2022 summer drought.

Rosemary Russet is a late dessert apple, first recorded in 1831 in Middlesex. The fruits are juicy with an excellent sharp but sweet flavour. Ready to pick early to mid October.

James Grieve is a dual use apple from Edinburgh which was first recorded in 1893. Its apples are very sharp early in the season but mellow without losing flavour by December. Pick early to mid September.

Ellison's Orange is a dessert apple from Lincolnshire which came from a Cox cross. It was first recorded in 1904 and used to be commercially available. It has a distinctive flavour, developing an aniseed taste by the end of October. Pick mid- Late September. 

If you would like to become involved in caring for the orchard please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk.