A Heartfelt Start to 2026: Memories, Milestones and Volunteering at Didsbury Park
Wishing everyone a happy, warm and healthy 2026!!
A GREAT MEMORY FROM OUR LAST DAY OF VOLUNTEERING IN 2025
It was just before Christmas when I received permission to be able to publish picture 1 from the parents, and the school, of the amazing choir from the Didsbury Church of England Primary School who came to sing carols for us all at our last volunteering session on 8th December.
It is a lovely memento of a very special occasion when they sang for us in appreciation of all the work we do to keep their park looking great. So apologies for the delay in showing this picture but hopefully you will think it was worth the wait.
A SAD CHRISTMAS FOR OUR PARSONAGE VOLUNTEER COLLEAGUES
When we first formed our Didsbury Park volunteer team in 2014 we were given a lot of advice and guidance from Heather and Alan who ran very successful teams of volunteers at the Parsonage and Fletcher Moss respectively. We will be forever grateful for their support in the early days. So it is with sadness that we have heard that just before Christmas the large greenhouses at the Parsonage have been condemned as unsafe by MCC. The volunteers not only depend upon the greenhouses for growing plants, but they are also used for storing tools and equipment as well as their place for a mid morning brew.
I have offered our support but it looks like they are getting some great assistance from MCC Parks at the moment. Good luck Heather and Alison and all your volunteers!
TODAY
Today was scheduled to be our first day back after a good three week mid winter break. However, not surprisingly, this morning's sub zero temperatures and light covering of snow on a frozen ground meant that any gardening was impossible and this fact and the cold weather did have an impact upon our attendance numbers.
But despite the temptation to stay at home and keep warm we still had an amazing turnout of 14 volunteers. Actually it was a beautiful sunny day with sunshine and clear blue skies all morning and provided you kept your gloves on and kept moving it was not too cold.
Among our volunteers this morning we were delighted to see that Grace was feeling well enough to join us and Kedir also returned once again after a few weeks away. Everybody was made very welcome.
TODAY - AN HISTORIC START TO 2026 - WORK BEGINS ON THE FENCING AROUND THE WILD FLOWER MEADOW
I am delighted to report that after many years of searching for funding, the contractors arrived this morning to begin work on replacing the fencing and introducing new self closing gates to the Wild Flower Meadow. The final solution will mirror the Bird Garden and will enable permanent public access to the wild flower meadow for the first time ever.
Pictures 2 and 3 show that the work began by removing the old maintenance gates. Watch this space!
TODAY - REFILLING THE DOG BAG CONTAINERS
PIcture 4 shows Gill N and Grace on their way around the park to re-fill all the doggy bag dispensers.
Even though I had topped all these dispensers up over Christmas, they were all empty again by first thing this morning. They are certainly getting well used. Thank you Gill and Grace.
TODAY - AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPRING CLEAN THE VOLUNTEERS SHELTER
Picture 5 shows Allan and Kedir taking advantage of there being fewer volunteers around, to enable them to re-organise a large section of the volunteer shelter.
This work not only kept them really warm all morning but it also made a huge improvement to the storage in the volunteer's shelter. A great job - thank you Allan and Kedir.
TODAY - A NEW PATH TO THE NEW BENCH
Pictures 6 and 7 show Christine, Sonia and Wendy also keeping busy in the cold weather this morning by laying a new woodchip path to the new bench. Picture 6 is quite artistic as the camera is focused into the low sun, whereas picture 7 shows off the beautiful new curving bench, and the new path, and Sonia, Christine and Wendy much more clearly.
Thank you ladies this was a great job. Later, after our coffee break, the heavy gang of Carl N and Gary further extended the path to the roundabout area. Great work also guys. Thank you all.
TODAY - BUG HOTEL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES
Pictures 8 and 9 show Kevin at various preparation stages of construction of the components of the bug hotels.
In Picture 8 Kevin has a wheelbarrow full of dead tree branches which have been collected throughout the park and picture 9 shows Kevin using the branches to make 'des res' accommodation 'rooms / holes' for the bugs in the hotel. Great work Kevin. Thank you.
TODAY - ELSEWHERE IN THE PARK
Tom did some great maintenance work this morning on the Poppy Path where a number of shrubs were overgrowing the path. Thank you Tom
Our thoughts and best wishes this evening go to Murray who just before arriving at the park this morning slipped on the ice and snow on Gillbrook Road and injured his ankle. Murray stayed around helping for a while but soon had to retire and get a lift home. We all wish you a speedy recovery Murray.
TODAY - PICTURESQUE SCENES
It was a really lifting experience to be back in the park this morning for all sorts of reasons. It could have been seeing the solitary robins which kept appearing wherever we were working, or the 3 redwings Lorna saw eating berries in a holly tree, or being caught by surprise suddenly by the sunshine dazzling on the snow and ice.
Picture 10 is a good example as it shows the carved welcome message at the Gillbrook Road Gate suddenly being transformed as its lettering is filled with snow and ice!
LOOKING FORWARD TO 2026
We are currently drafting the 2026 annual plan. If you would like to participate and have any ideas / suggestions you would like to see included to improve the park next year will you kindly let me know as soon as possible please?
Thank you once again for your great support.