Fo SAP's Comments

Hi. Thank you for the welcome and your efforts. Really looking forward to any news ☺

Hi there.

The issue that tipped me over to join up and be in touch is that I see a problem and an easy solution...

The problem is how much mud there is on the netball area. I do exercise there at 6.30a.m. and the floor is really dirty, especially after rain. It comes from the puddle between the wooden climbing frame and the basket swing - which has grown bigger over the last 2 years.

The solution is maybe in the new climbing frame that is being installed. When that happens then can we get matting put down over the very muddy patch? I'm sure lots of parents would like that too as the little kids go straight for the muddy puddle and get really dirty and wet.

Would you prefer if I chatted to someone on the committee about it? I'm on 07714915912. Thanks, Dave.

Many thanks for all the links!  I'm looking forward to hearing from Steve about our proposal for a Forest Garden. 

Hi Jo, Ive been meaning to get in touch about the trees.  You may be aware that as part of our city-wide mapping of trees in bristol, there is a map of the trees in St Andrews 

https://bristoltrees.space/Tree/sitecode/STANPA - click on Trees to get the map of all the trees.  This is based on BCC data occasionally enhanced with information and photos by Mark Ashdown and myself.  I'd like to do a proper re-survey of the trees - the girths haven't been measured for some years and it is not likely that BCC will do it.  In addition I suspect the species are less precise than they could be. This website allows registered users to updatethe information themselves and it would be great to get one or two of the members of the group involved. I know Simon Randoloph has been involded in trees and I had an expression of interest on the Facebook group from Simon Davis but heard no more.   

PS  I know about Dave Cemlyn's map of some years ago and Mark and I used it to map the individual trees but I had trouble getting them to agree so Ive gone with the BCC data which we can enhance

Regards

Chris

Hi Emma,

We have not received any info on this so far. Perhaps if anyone out there knows the answer, they can post it, or let me know and I'll post it.

Jo

hi there, I'd be really interested in joining the nature group and taking part in any pond cleaning etc.  Could I join this please? Thanks

Thanks for the welcome!

Thanks for the welcome message.  Wow, that is a large number of trees.  Will keep an eye on your events and hopefully come along. 

Thanks for your welcome messages! Looking forward to summer evenings in the park and hopefully meeting some of you. 

Are you having a wild flower meadow again this summer?

Thanks Jo, couldn't make this one but hope to make the next. Cheers Janie

Hi Regina, 

Thanks for the comment. It would be great to come to your next meeting. I live on Sefton Park Road, and am running a honeybee social enterprise, called Bee the Change and would be great to chat to you about potentially working with the community to encourage more people into keeping bees! Especially with that wonderful wildflower meadow :) There is lots of funding at the moment from the Green Capital fund, so perhaps we could improve the park even more. 

It would be great if you could let me know when the meeting is. 

Thanks, Heather

heathermoore19@gmail.com

Hi Regina, thank you for letting me join the Friends of St.Andrews Park. Sorry its taken me so long to reply. My Sister Janet and her husband Jeremy lived on Leopold Road in the 1970s/80s. I viisted occasionally and often walked the park and found it am oasis of calm in the middle of the big city. I will see if i can find any old photos i can add. I stumbled across your lovely website by chance and am very pleased i did. I enjoy reading peoples postings. Steve

Thanks Jo and Regina. I will try and come to the meeting if I'm free then.

Kind regards,

Matt

Although I don't condone the use of an illegal drug in public places, does cannabis smoke really pose a passive smoking health risk? I very much doubt it.

   I’m sorry to hear of the problem that you had with the cannabis smoke on Monday.  Unfortunately it seems to be an all too common problem in the park and elsewhere.

   Over the last two years, FoSAP have organised two public meetings with the police, local councillors and council officials and a further ten or so smaller meetings with them, to discuss ASB.  I would place the incident that you had under this heading.  Our local beat manager, PC Kevin Parsons, is very much aware of the problem of drugs being used in the park.  He undertakes plain clothes patrols as did his predecessor, Alex Owen, and they have been successful in arresting offenders on a couple of occasions.  As you may know, Kevin has proposed an initiative to create flower meadows in the park with the idea of reducing the number of people using the field parallel to Leopold road.  We are still awaiting confirmation of funding for next year, but in the meantime the Parks dept is leaving un-mown areas in the field to deter people from congregating there.  

               There is also an ongoing consultation process to create a set of By-laws for parks to prevent ASB, which the council is running.  Although this may take a very long time to establish new By-laws, they will give the police new powers in parks which they don’t have at the moment and hopefully make the area less attractive to people who cause ASB.  They do of course already though have powers of arrest for cannabis possession.

               If you would like to contact PC Parsons, please phone the non-emergency police line on 101 and when you are put through to an operator, just ask to speak to him and give his shoulder tag number which is 1414.  He is very approachable and friendly.   I will mention the incident to him when I’m next in contact.  I’m sure that he will suggest that you contact him with details if it happens again.

All the best,

John

Dear JOHN and all at  Fosap,

Whilst I do not know everyones views on this subject I would like to report something I found extremely upsetting for several reasons: On Monday 8TH July around 6pm ish I was walking through the leopold rd /Effingham road when my lungs were assulted by a cloud of Canabis smoke  (I only know this as when I  encountered some before a collegue told me what itwas) this is becoming increasingly common in the Ashley down /st andrews area ( In fact on routes to Broadmead/ The Centre too) a definate hazard for any pedestrian.

The 20 -30 something male was good enough to move away when I started to choke on it. Why  am I CONCERNED YOU MIGHT ASK? Besides the fact that I am awaiting the 5 yr all clear from Breast Cancer in 2015. It has been scientifically proven to increase anyones but especially those more suseptible to it risk of getting  cancer by 500 times! Whoknows how many visitors to our park are  at risk from this stuff..I despite some modern trends do not wish such a dangerous substance smoked anywhere in our area especially our park where one comes to enjoy hopefully FRESH AIR.

Besides this real risk it is not the sort of thing to be encouraged and I feel FOSAP as could many other organizations  nowadays could and should set an example of sensible thoughtful  decent behaviour.

Is there anything  fosap can do about this such as ask for more police presence in our park or  a few notices or bylaws put up to say what is permissable exclude drug use!

Yours Sincerely

Regina Zdrojkowska