FRIENDS OF ROMILEY PARK
Minutes of the Seventeenth Annual General Meeting held on 14 January 2025 10.00 at The Life Centre, Romiley.
Present: - Tracey Adams, Philippa Bonorino, Terry Holmes, Jean Bartlett
1. The Chair (Tracey Adams) welcomed all present and read out the Notice of the Meeting.
Apologies – Pam Reed, Debbie Barraclough, Abdulnaser Alshurbaji, John Young, Anne Granby, Glenys Backhouse.
2. Minutes of the Meeting held on 9 January 2024 were approved as a correct record.
Matter arising – the noticeboard next to the wildflower area is due to be handed over to the FoRP next year but this year would be better. ACTION: PB
3. Treasurers Report: - Pam Reid had circulated the accounts for the year ending 31 December 2024. Income totalled £740.00; expenditure £238.26 leaving a balance of £2557.37 The report was accepted.
4 Chairperson’s Annual Report
2024 has seen another year of enthusiastic gardening from The Friends of Romiley Park. A dozen people who meet twice a month, in various weathers, to garden in the recreation ground that is Romiley Park. They have designed the various planting areas around the space and this year saw them develop and maintain these with planting, pruning, cutting back, top dressing, edging the grass around them. There were also sessions spent clearing leaves at the front of the park and adding them to the leaf pile, which will provide excellent leaf mould to distribute around the park.
In addition to this work, the group also raise funds to purchase amongst other things, plants, seeds and shrubs.
The planting areas around the park are all very different and bring along their own challenges and levels of maintenance and attention. These include:
The Centre bed, which is the dominant part of the flowering sections. This year has seen continuous maintenance, with a lot of weeding, pruning and with some of the larger shrubs being cut back hard and some overgrown plants being thinned or removed completely. This work has meant the planting is more coherent and provided months of wonderful displays of colour.
The 2 Wet Beds have required a considerable amount of work. The larger one, across the path from the gym equipment, has required the removal of a large number of nettles. The one by the school entrance at the front of the park, has been dug out and replanted.
The Wildflower Meadow, which is still a work in progress, has seen the removal of docks, which although in much smaller number now, still require their long, strong taproots and plants to be dug out, in order for the wildflower plants to stand a chance of surviving. Also, after the bi-annual cutting of the meadow, the Friends have had to rake and remove the thatch, for the same purpose.
New local seeds have been spread in the area, which will hopefully produce healthier and more quantity of wildflowers.
It has been agreed that the Group will purchase some wildflower turf in 2025, to cover an area within the meadow, which should increase the variety of plants.
The School Beds have both had regular weeding and pruning, as well as some of the plants being relocated, removed and new ones put in. New compost has been added to improve the soil and bark to suppress the weeds.
Anthony Crook has completed a tree survey of the park and has replaced 8 trees, which have been either vandalised, damaged or waterlogged.
The Tubs have continued to receive excellent care and attention from Jean, who has spent many hours weeding and planting them, as well as seeking sponsorship to pay for new plants. Barbara has continued in the same vein, to keep the tub at the Carlton Avenue entrance attractive.
In The play area, the roundabout has been removed, as it was no longer deemed safe. In its place a new wheelchair accessible roundabout has been installed by Stockport Council.
The Fun Day did not take place, again due to the lack of volunteers. It seems unlikely at this time, that the Friends of Romiley Park will host any more.
In 2024, the Friends group trialled quarterly meetings. However, it was decided the gap between was too long and bi-monthly meetings will return in 2025.
There is an enormous amount of foot flow through the park and residents and visitors alike, praise the stunning appearance and facilities of it.
In order to achieve this level of excellence, there are a number of people and organisations working to do this and thanks go out to the following -
the volunteers who form the Friends of Romiley Park and who turn out every month to give their time and devotion to gardening and fund raising; Anthony Crook, Senior Arboriculture & Habitat Officer and the Parks & Outdoor Spaces team of Stockport MBC; TLC; and the Organisations who have generously donated funds to the Friends Group. These include, The Romiley and Marple Lions and Romiley Life Centre and Abdulnaser Alshurbaji who provided the bark.
Other donations have come from a visitor to the park, who stopped and gave a £20; a kind resident, who came and brought hot drinks for the volunteer gardeners and another who anonymously paid for drinks in a local coffee shop. Additional thanks are due to Romiley Life Centre, who generously provide a room for the meetings of the Friends. Praise and thanks are given to our Secretary Philippa, who not only provides the minutes for our meetings, liaises with various third parties and completes grant applications, she is also our ‘go to’ for knowledge of plants, shrubs and trees. She goes over and above the job description.Thanks also to our treasurer Pam, for paying out and paying in funds and producing accounts throughout the year and thanks to our social secretary Jean, who ensures that we visit a variety of excellent eateries throughout the year.
2025 will be the 20th anniversary of the Friends of Romiley Park and we look forward to celebrating this and looking back over the enormous achievements of this small number of volunteers.
5. Election of Officers
Chair – Tracey Adams was proposed, seconded and elected unanimously.
Treasurer – Pam Reed was proposed, seconded and elected unanimously.
Secretary – Philippa Bonorino was proposed, seconded and elected unanimously.
6. Other business
20th anniversary of the FoRP in 2025 – it was decided to celebrate with a party, probably at the end of May. The secretary will write an article for the Post. This item will be discussed in detail at the meeting in March. ACTION: TA, PB
Green Space Development – the secretary will draft a response to the local consultation.ACTION: PB