Friends of Haydons Road Recreation Ground

Among the topics under discussion will be exciting future plans, aims and opportunities. We are hopeful that other guests from partner organisations will also be in attendance.

Approx agenda: 1. Welcome/apologies 2. Guest Speakers: Councillor Eleanor Stringer (Deputy Leader LBM) and/or Andrew Kauffman (Head of Parks Services, LBM) 3. Minutes of the previous AGM 4. Officer Reports 5. Election of Officers 6. Programme for 2026 7. AOB 8. Date of 2026 AGM

AGM THIS WEDNESDAY A reminder that the AGM of the Friends of HRRG takes place this Wednesday (26 November) at 7.30pm, in the South Wimbledon Community Centre, 78 Victory Road, SW19 1HN. The agenda is below. It is open to members. New members can join on the door.

BULB PLANTING DAY + LITTER PICK An extra Community Day will be on Sat 15 Nov to plant a large number of bulbs FoHRRG have received from Idverde. Meet by HRRG Car Park from 10am. We have trowels and gloves but please bring if you have any. Volunteers can litter pick too.

It will also be a chance to celebrate our achieving Green Flag status. If you have any issues you would like to raise, do let us know using the email address available on our Facebook page (see link on the X profile page)

AGM - SAVE THE DATE The FoHRRG AGM will be held on Wednesday 26 November at the South Wimbledon Community Association, 78 Victory Rd, SW19 1HN. We will be circulating papers to members in the next fortnight, but we hope senior members of the council's Parks Team will attend.

Merton Council is holding a Pop-up Tip in HRRG's car park on Saturday 26 October from 10am to 2pm. More details at merton.gov.uk/rubbish-and-re… Note that the car park will therefore be closed most of that Saturday.

We have all the equipment needed but if you have gloves do bring them. Children under supervision are, as always, most welcome. Our signs will be out, but head to the Haccombe Road car park as usual and someone will be there to direct anyone who attends and wants to come and help

COMMUNITY DAY We are holding our Autumn Community Day on Saturday 11 October from 10am to midday. We will be putting mulch on the recently planted trees and hedges, as well as doing our regular litter pick. One group will be clearing up dog mess, which remains a problem in places

Green Flag status means that a park has reached the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the UK. First launched in 1996, it continues to provide the high level of quality against which parks and green spaces all around the country are measured.

Parks Officer Jonathan Turner and Friends chair Robin Goodchild gave short speeches before the flag was raised on the new pole, which will remain to show visitors that the park has achieved that level.

FLAG RAISED! A short ceremony was held today to mark the awarding of Green Flag status to HRRG. It was attended by members of the Friends, councillors, council officers, members of the public and the deputy leader of the council Cllr Eleanor Stringer.

FLAG RAISING CEREMONY A flag raising ceremony to recognise HRRG gaining Green Flag status will take place on Mon (11 Aug) at 11am, by the cricket pavilion, at the end of the car park. It will include the official flag raising and a short walk around the site with attendees

Here's the web page with HRRG's entry: greenflagaward.org/park-summary/?… . A new flag pole will be installed in the next few weeks. This is a major achievement to which a large number of people from the council and the friends have contributed.

GROUNDS FOR CELEBRATION Great news! Haydons Road Recreation Ground has been given Green Flag status in the latest round of awards. It was one of 10 awarded to Merton Council by Keep Britain Tidy last week, with 8 retaining their status and Holland Park another added to the list.

We are holding this month's Litter Pick at 10am on Saturday 19 July for an hour. We have all the equipment needed but, if you have gloves, do bring them. Children under supervision are, as always, most welcome.

We hope planting will now take place on 22 March. Anyone wanting to take part in the litter pick, please meet from 10am, outside the mess hut near to the car park, next to the Haccombe Road entrance to the park.

LITTER PICK SATURDAY The planned Community Day on 8 February is going ahead but will be litter picking, rather than hedgerow planting as previously hoped. While great progress has been made in removing the Leylandii, the space is not yet suitable for a native species replacement.

COMMUNITY DAY The next Community Day will, provisionally, be on Sat 8 Feb, with the main task being the planting of the native hedge next to the Wildflower Garden. This will be conditional on other work having taken place. Further information will be provided nearer the time.

We are hopeful it will also see the replacement of the Leylandii to the west of the Wildflower Garden with a hedge of native species. For more information on Green Flag, see greenflagaward.org . Please follow on X for more information on up-coming events and developments.

NEW FOR 2025 2025 promises to be an important year for Haydons Road Recreation Ground, with some significant developments. Hopefully, it will be the year in which HRRG is awarded Green Flag Status, the international standard for public parks.