Autumn Colours Ahead

Thank you and well done to Jacky Turner for correctly locating our King Crimson ‘North Cray Road between St James’s church and Leafield Lane!. we will see if we can identify when this was planted. mh 18/10 2022

North Cray Road and our king Crimson
Purple Maple

Whatever your feelings for the coming winter a visit to Foots Cray Meadows will do wonders for your Wellbeing. We can look forward to a feast of colour from our trees and as always leading the way is this tree now displaying a riot of reds in the sunshine. It is a King Crimson or Purple Maple. But can you tell us where on The Meadows it can be found? Use the contact page or e mail ffcm06@gmail.com to answer.

Michael Chair FFCM 9th October 2022

FYI is the leaf

Great Ideas – Foots Cray Meadows QR Information Posts (QRIPs).

Following on from our AGM and a big thank you to all who turned up and for an enjoyable evening The Friends now have some project plans designed to enhance the visitor experience to Meadows.

We shall keep you informed with these messages to our members and webpage articles leading to a full newsletter later.

We will start with the agreement to look into implementing a series of Foots Cray Meadows QR Information Posts (QRIPs), which will when the project is live display QR codes to link to information pages on this website. (https://footscraymeadows.wordpress.com), each post relating to particular sites of interest across the 240 acre site of the Foots Cray Meadows.

Our lead on this project is its proposer committee member Jacky Turner who is forming a working group to develop this exciting project. Attached for your information are the slides proposing this to the AGM. Jacky is seeking people to either be part of the working group or who may suggest and have experience and knowledge to assist with the information content of the posts. We want to hear from you and would really value your relevant experience and local knowledge. Jacky can be contacted by our group e mail ffcm06@gmail.com

or through the contact page on our website.  

meadows-walk-jt-agm-v2Download

Michael Heath Chair FFCM 2nd October 2022

The Foots Cray Meadows Information Centre

Cold Picnics Only Please

Please do not bring disposable BBQs to the Meadows (technically BBQs are not allowed on the site). Wildfires are a real risk this weekend. Think ‘tinderbox dry outback’, discarded bottles and cans are also a fire hazard take you rubbish home. Do enjoy your visit, but let’s keep everyone safe and be considerate to the natural environment. our Meadows are struggling too this summer.

https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/community/bexley/

This is Foots Cray Meadows, The river is behind the burnt area, we are down stream of the Penny Farthing Bridge.

This post M Heath 12/08/2022

Information Centre Open Saturday 6th August

We shall be at the Information Centre behind the stable block from 10am to 1230pm. pop in during your visit or walk. Future events Bat Experience 24th September, Five Arches & AGM/Public Meeting 27th September at ‘The Bothy’ St James Church- full details to follow. contact ffcm06@gmail.com

Activities for young people at the Information centre – Photo by SP(Mother) with permissions

Information Centre Open & AGM Update

The Information Centre will be open this Saturday 2nd July from 10am to 1230pm come along and meet the Friends find out some more about the Meadows and our Group.

To coincide with our plans to upgrade our banking and introduce more flexible ways of collecting membership subscriptions we have decided to postpone this years AGM to Tuesday 27th September starting at 7am with the venue to be confirmed. However, you can still join as a member with details on our members page.

Tree News Ellenborough Road Entrance

We have received the following update from Tim Barnes Tree Officer at Bexley on Friday 13th May 2022

I just wanted to email you with a brief update regarding some urgent tree work operations that are taking place on the Ellenborough Road entrance to the park.

There is a large twin-stem poplar that we are currently having reduced. We have asked for an outside contractor to come in and carry out the work and they began work yesterday. However, after speaking with the contractor it has become clear that this will be a multiple day project certainly spanning into next week. Although work will not continue over the weekend, much of the debris will still be on site. However, the team will endeavour to keep the gate and pathways clear on Saturday and Sunday.

It is my hope that this work will have minimal affect on the park users and we hope to keep any inconveniences to a minimum.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Tim Barnes

Trees & Woodlands Officer

Parks & Open Spaces

London Borough of Bexley

Signs of Spring 2022

We at the Friends are now looking towards spring and summer on the Meadows. We will keep you informed of what is happening here as well as notifying our members directly. we welcome your observations and comments via our contact page or by e mail ffcm06@gmail.com. do come along on the morning of Saturday 7th May 2022 when we next plan on opening the Information Centre.

Swans at Five Aches, will they stay are they a pair will they mate?

The iconic Sidcup scene of swans at the ‘Five Arches’. Swans have intermittently visited the Meadows this winter the image above was taken on Sunday 13th March will they stay? Let us hope so.  

Home on the Cray?

Spring Watch – Remember to give nature a space especially during the nesting season.

How are the daff’s doing at Rectory lane?

and when the sun shines

Enjoy your visit