'The Pleasaunce Post'

Glenn Tops Off A Perfect Day

Click on photos to enlarge and see 2009 Picnic photo album, right

 

   

Glenn Tilbrook, former frontman and songwriter for local pop band Squeeze, topped off a perfect afternoon at East Greenwich Pleasaunce's 'Arty Picnic in the Park' on 7th June.

Playing for the best part of an hour fuelled by our famous Pleasaunce Rum Punch, he entertained the appreciative crowd superbly with an acoustic set featuring many of his hit singles and a few covers.

For a finale Glenn, who was born in Woolwich and now lives in Charlton, led a group of volunteers in a rousing rendition of the Lou Reed song 'Perfect Day'.

 

Throughout an afternoon that stayed mercifully dry despite the bad forecast up to 600 people were entertained by a succession of live bands, including ...

...Crocodile Style...

...the Nostalgia Steel Band...

...and Los Dawsons.

 

As well as the wide selection of live music there was an Arty theme to this year's Picnic, organised by the Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce.

Award-winning artist and author Petr Horacek (pictured below left) led the children in creating a lively and colourful mural which has now been mounted on the side of the loo block as you enter the Pleasaunce from the Chevening Road entrance. Local artists were also invited to display their works throughout the park's dog-free zone.

 

 

Our thanks to everyone who helped make this such a special day, particularly Kate Powling our Events Director and Greenwich Council for their generous funding.

And thanks to Jake Whiley, Sue Gay, Steve Brain and Sean O'Flynn for the lovely photos.

Matthew Wall, Chair, Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce

Contacts

Following our AGM on 22 April 2009 the following executive officers were voted in:

Chair

Matthew Wall (mtpwall@o2.co.uk)

Treasurer 

Sue Gay (Sue_Gay@msn.com)

Secretary

Rob Whiley (r.a.whiley@qmul.ac.uk)

Events Director

Kate Powling (katepowling@hotmail.com)

Membership Secretary 

Laura Tear (l.tear@virgin.net)

Website Editor

Matthew Wall (mtpwall@o2.co.uk)

General Enquiries

pleasauncefriends@hotmail.co.uk

 

Announcing PARKSfest 2009!

 

PARKSfest is a fun programme of events in Greenwich's parks devised and run by Friends groups and local communities and funded by Greenwich Council. See below for a list of dates and venues. For more info please go to www.parksfest.org.

GPF Parksfest 2009

Summer Programme of Events

Date	Location	Time
Saturday 23rd May	Maryon Park	11-3pm
Sunday 7th June	East Greenwich Pleasaunce	12-4pm
Sunday 21st June	Eltham Parks South	3-4.30pm
Saturday June 27th	Shrewsbury Park  Open Day	12-4pm
Sunday 28th June	Eltham Parks South	3-4.30pm
Friday 3rd July	Hervey Road Sports Ground	6-8pm
Sunday 5th July	Eltham  Parks South	3-4.30pm
Sunday 12th July	Charlton Park	2-6pm
Friday July 17th	Shrewsbury Park  School in the Park Party	11.30-6pm
Saturday 18th July	Twinkle Park
Sunday 26th July	The Tarn	2-4pm
Sunday 26th July	Plumstead Common – Winn’ s Common	3-8pm
Sunday 23rd August	Eltham Parks South	2pm
Sunday 30th August	Well Hall Pleasaunce	12-6pm

Calling all artists young or old!

THE FRIENDS OF EAST GREENWICH PLEASAUNCE

CALLING ALL LOCAL ARTISTS!

We’re currently planning our Picnic in the Pleasaunce, now in it’s 4th year to be held on Sunday 7^th June 12-4pm

This year we have been successful with a grant from Greenwich Council’s Cultural Olympiad fund, so we are keen to put an Arty slant on the festivities.

In addition to our usual provision of free Live Music, we will be encouraging visitors to create Art in the Park – and we hope to showcase the work and skill of local Artists.

Local Artists are invited to come and display & sell their work (we have visions of a left-bank-Parisian kind of thing along the fence of the Dog Free Zone!) but obviously this is dependent on good weather.

In addition to this, we have also allocated a Marquee (6 metre x 6 metre) in which space will be allocated in advance.

There is no charge to take part, and if this is successful, it could become a regular part of the Annual Picnic.

For more information about the Friends group, East Greenwich Pleasaunce and the events we run, please see www.fegp.typepad.com

Space in the Marquee will be allocated by the Friends group, but priority will be given to Artists who get in touch early!

Please email pleasauncefriends@hotmail.co.uk

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce warmly invite you to attend our

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

on

WEDNESDAY 22nd APRIL at 8pm

at

CHRIST CHURCH

TRAFALGAR ROAD

(NEXT TO THE FORUM)

 

As some of our Committee members have served for three years they will be standing down at this AGM, so we would really appreciate some new people coming forward either to take up one of the executive posts e.g. Secretary, or to join the Committee.

Friends groups like ours succeed or fail on the willingness of local people to get involved. I hope you agree that the Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce Committee has done a fantastic job so far in raising the profile of the Park, securing improved levels of  Council maintenance and support, and organising and running events that have proved massively popular with local residents.

We would like to build upon this success. But we need more residents to become involved - either in an official or unofficial capacity - and share your expertise and energy, particularly in the field of fundraising.

If you think you might be interested in standing for election to the Committee, or you just want to help out in some way, I would be grateful if you could email (mtpwall@o2.co.uk) or ring me (07941 315256) in advance of the AGM next week. Thanks very much.

We do hope you can make it.

Matthew Wall

Chair, Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce

Jugglers, Chess and Easter Bonnets

 

Colour and creativity came to the Pleasaunce on Easter Sunday as children from Halstow School proudly showed off their Easter Bonnets. A competition for the best bonnet, kindly organised by Emma O'Shea of Greenwich Town Centre Management, was judged by Steve Offord, the Lord Mayor of Greenwich.

 

The Easter Sunday event was also enlivened by performances from the Gandini Jugglers, who, along with the bonnets, helped brighten up an overcast day.

As well as tea, coffee and cakes served by the Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce, and our statutory Easter Egg hunt for the children, chess sets were provided under cover to encourage more open air games in the Park. Let's hope it catches on...

 

Many thanks to all those who organised and supported another successful event in the Pleasaunce - a small park with big ideas!

Easter Sunday in the Pleasaunce

Click on the flyer to enlarge.

 

Pleasaunce Cafe wins 'Green Building of the Year' Award

The newly-built cafe in East Greenwich Pleasaunce has won 'Green Building of the Year' at the News Shopper's Green Guardian Awards held at IndigO2 on 5th February.

You can read more about the award here.

The cafe, designed by Alexander Sedgley architects, features thermally-efficient building blocks, a grass roof, solar panels to power underfloor heating, and metal trellising as cladding for climbing plants to grow up. It promises to be a green asset to the Park.

But when will it open? The Council tell us that negotiations with a potential contractor are still continuing, but that they hope the cafe might open some time in Spring.

Santa Arrives in Style!

 

Santa arrived at the Pleasaunce for our Carols in the Park event on the back of a Harley Davidson this year, escorted by a fleet of two-wheeled helpers.

Children heard the rumbling of the powerful motorbike engines in the distance to great excitement before our suped-up Santa made his grand entrance into the Park bathed in a rare display of winter sunshine.

He then gamely interviewed all the children in his tented grotto while several hundred grown-ups quaffed vast quantities of mulled wine (the Friends couldn't make the stuff fast enough and have made a note to double the number of burners for next year), tea, coffee and cakes.

Festive music with a twist was kindly provided by the Nostalgia Steel Band, and the event was rounded off with enthusiastic collective carol singing before cold-induced numbness brought the successful event to a close.

 

The Friends of East Greenwich Pleasaunce would like to thank:

• Dave Mann and the Meridien Chapter of the Harley Owners Club
• Warrs Harley Davidson dealership, Mottingham
• The Nostalgia Steel Band
• Santa (you know who you are)
• The weather

Which photo do you like best?

Photo Competition 2008

The winner of the first ever East Greenwich Pleasaunce Photo Competition will be announced during our Christmas Carols in the Pleasaunce event on Sunday 7th December.

To see a selection of the entries we received please click on the photo album in the right-hand column.

Good luck to all entrants!