Friends of Falsgrave Park

About the Group

The Friends of Falsgrave Park are Scarborough's first park community group. A young park user who was not very happy with the park she played in organised a petition to Scarborough Borough Council asking for improvements to be made to the play area. In 2001 the Friends first got together to help raise funds for new play equipment.

A play area in Falsgrave Park, Scarborough

Working with the Council the Friends successfully secured £150,000 of funding through the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) and the Department of Communities and Local Government, which was used to develop and purchase the junior and infant play areas.

This was the first of many improvements that the Friends Group have helped make to the park. Members are also proactive in wardening and maintaining the park, picking up litter, holding working parties, reporting problems and talking to other park users. During the summer months they put on a series of community events which are well supported. They are an important presence in the park, and also act as a representative for the community, working closely with Scarborough Borough Council on all issues and decisions about the park.

Meetings

Springhill Meadows, Scarborough The group’s AGM is usually held in April and is publicised in the four park noticeboards and around Falsgrave. Meetings are held throughout the year to plan events, progress projects and address any matters that arise.

Aim and Objectives of the Group

The overall aim of the group is to protect and enhance the park’s natural beauty, flora and fauna, historical interest and facilities for all park users. With the objectives of...

Promote and increase park use
Encourage responsible use of the park and organise events and activities
Be the voice for the community in all park matters
Raise funds to support parks activities
Encourage the use of the park as an environmental resource

Friends of Falsgrave Park Constitution

Friends of Falsgrave Park Membership Form

Events and Activities

The Friends organise many events and activities in the park, some are working party activities such as shrub pruning and bulb planting and some are events for all to enjoy such as the very popular ‘Park in the Dark’ at Hallowe’en.

Current projects include improvements to the entrance at West Bank including hopefully a sculpture; further improvements to the play area; and the planting of a Jubilee Tree. We are also looking into the possibility of installing some fitness equipment on the meadow.

Events in 2012

Several events are in the pipeline for 2012, watch out for details in the press, in the Park notice boards and around Falsgrave.

Spring

Easter Funday

Walk in the Woods

Summer

The Big Lunch

Flowers Fossils and Flying Things

Autumn

Daft Doggie Afternoon

Park in the Dark

Achievements

The Friends have helped to get much needed improvements made to the park including:

Footpath enhancement including disabled access
Floral improvements including woodland planting, bulb planting, the wildflower meadow, herbaceous borders and specimen trees
Better lighting
Habitat creation
Extra play equipment
Restoration of the historic Conduit House
Scarborough’s first legal graffiti wall
Fundraising and promoting the park
New gateway feature at Oak Road

Green Flag Award

The Park first achieved Green Flag status in 2005 and was the first Green Flag in Scarborough Borough. The park has successfully retained Green Flag Status every year since.

Like the Blue Flag for beaches this award is a mark of quality and is a tribute to all the hard work the Friends of Falsgrave Park have put into the park.

Recent Projects

Twirl and Whirl Fundraiser

The Friends have worked very hard to raise money for the two remaining pieces of play equipment for the park. After a successful funding bid to Yorventure for £10,750 and tremendous community support with a "Sponsored Swing" in the park, this has now been achieved. The new equipment now includes a twirler that has a rotating disc with a pole to spin as fast as you can and a new type of roundabout.

Wildlife Interpretation Boards

With improvements being made to the woodland and Springhill Meadow more and varied types of wildlife are increasing in the park. One of the main objectives of the friends group is to encourage the positive environmental education for its users. This is going to be achieved with the installation of two interpretation panels, one in the meadow and one in the woodland. Each panel highlights the types of flora and fauna you are likely to see when you visit the park.

£2000 has been granted from Awards for All and a further £1000 has come from Scarborough Borough Council Area Committee Grant Scheme. Work has already begun with the friends to produce the boards.

Oak Road Entrance Gateway

It took a long time but finally this has been achieved and looks great. The bricks came from the demolished Scarborough Flyer pub on Seamer Road and were kindly laid by men from Wilmott Dixon, to which company are due many thanks for their constant support. The capstones for the pillars were bought with a donation from Anglolang language school and the Friends sincerely thank them also.

Park Notice Boards

Three new noticeboards were installed in 2011, at the Springhill Road and Springhill Lane entrances and at the point where the main path emerges on to the field. The one at Springhill Lane was bought with a donation from County Councillor Pat Marsburg and the installation was done by workers from Wilmot Dixon, all of whom we thank.