Last night, we held our Annual General Meeting (AGM), followed by our Autumn Forum, bringing together volunteers, Friends of Knowle Park, and key stakeholders.
During the meeting, we reviewed the year’s progress, shared our plans, and welcomed questions and suggestions from the audience.
Our Annual Report will be published shortly once submitted to the Charity Commission.
The Trustees and Park Manager introduced themselves, and our Chairman, Martin Bamford, began by thanking everyone who has supported the Park over the past year.
Special thanks went to our incredible volunteers, the Friends of Knowle Park, and the Heartwork Coffee and Moooh! Ice Cream teams, and Cranleigh Men’s Shed, who have all been instrumental in making the Park a success.
Reflecting on a Busy Summer
Martin shared highlights from a busy and successful summer – our first full season of events since opening the Park in May 2023.
We hosted live music and theatre performances, testing different locations such as the hillside amphitheatre and lakeside lawn. These events were well-received, especially the free ones, where generous donations covered the costs.
A special mention went to Hannah Large, who wrote and directed Wind in the Willows in the Park. Hannah and her team did a superb job staging three performances, even braving torrential rain during the opening of the Saturday matinee!
Ecology and Wildlife Updates
The Park’s ecology is thriving.
Harry and Sally the swans returned recently after raising their six cygnets earlier in the summer.
We also saw successful breeding by Little Grebes, Coots, Moorhens, Mallards, and geese on the lake.
The lake is maturing well, thanks partly to the wet weather, and we’ve not seen any algal blooms this year.
We’ve been tackling some challenges with invasive species.
Our volunteers spent three days removing Himalayan balsam by hand from Littlemead Brook, and we’ve applied for grant funding to buy power tools to make this task easier.
Other issues include bamboo on the northern boundary, Pheasants from the neighbouring estate, and two Grass Carp that were released into the lake without permission – we’re working to catch and rehome these fish.
We’ve installed bird and bat boxes (thanks to Cranleigh Mother’s Union), and will soon add dormouse boxes in the woodland.
The wildflower meadow has been cut and cleared (thanks to our volunteers for all of the raking and moving piles of hay!), and we used our new topper mower to maintain the grass meadows, saving the charity money.
Community Engagement and Education
We’ve enjoyed welcoming various groups to the Park, including A Walk in the Park for people with dementia and their carers, who meet on the second Monday of each month.
Our Wild Tots group for under-5s has been hugely popular, with over 230 children attending pre-booked sessions since the summer holidays.
We were awarded £2,000 from the Surrey Wildlife Trust NextDoor Community Nature scheme to fit out a shipping container for educational sessions. Cranleigh Men’s Shed worked hard on cladding and finishing the container.
Looking to the Future
We have some exciting plans for the Park. Our wish list includes creating an outdoor art gallery called The Secret Garden, near the kiosks.
We’re already working with The Arts Society Cranleigh on A Face in the Trees competition for seven local schools, with the winning designs to be turned into wood carvings and displayed next Easter.
We’re also keen to purchase a boat for lake maintenance, a walk-behind roller for path maintenance, and one or more all-terrain mobility scooters to lend to visitors.
We want to add more infant swings and sensory play equipment to the playground.
In the longer term, we hope to restore the Osier Bed woodland and install an accessible boardwalk, allowing visitors to enjoy the bluebells without damaging the woodland floor.
Challenges and Opportunities
We continue to face some challenges, including a minority of visitors who don’t keep their dogs under control. We need to improve signage and remind dog walkers of their responsibilities.
We’ve been lucky to experience very little anti-social behaviour, and we respond quickly when issues arise, working closely with Surrey Police where necessary.
Improving our administration and communication is also a priority. We plan to introduce more regular updates for our volunteers and better event promotion.
Feedback and Suggestions
The Autumn Forum ended with a lively discussion, where many attendees shared their thoughts and ideas on how we can continue improving the Park. Here’s a summary of the key points:
Ancient Oak Trees: It was suggested that we provide more information about our ancient oak trees, including their ages and ecological significance. We agree that this could be a wonderful way to engage visitors and will explore options for interpretive signage in the future.
Partnerships with Local Organisations: Attendees suggested partnerships with local groups like Sayers Croft to enhance our educational offerings. We followed this up immediately after the meeting, with one of our volunteers providing contact details to help establish a connection.
Volunteer Sessions and Planning: One of our regular volunteers proposed that larger volunteer sessions, such as balsam clearing and tree planting, be publicised further in advance. This would help us recruit more volunteers for bigger tasks.
Martin shared that we’ll be planting a community orchard this winter, along with 1,500 trees to create a shelter belt and visual screening along our western boundary, and we’ll need plenty of hands on deck—so look out for upcoming dates!
Volunteer Communication: A suggestion was made to open our WhatsApp group for volunteers to enable more interaction, rather than just using it as a broadcast channel. We’ll experiment with this for a month to see how it works.
Another great idea was to find a youth representative to work with the board, which could help address some of the occasional anti-social behaviour we experience in the Park.
Better Signposting and Promotion: Some visitors mentioned that they would like to see improved signposting both within the Park and around Cranleigh, as many local people are still unaware of the Park’s existence.
Councillor Liz Townsend, who was present at the meeting, suggested including waymarking in the High Street redevelopment project, which will start with Fountain Square.
Additionally, attendees recommended promoting our events on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms for those who don’t use social media.
Access to the Park from Stocklund Square: There was a discussion about access to the Park from Stocklund Square via Leighwood Fields, as the originally planned footpath and access point has not yet materialised. Residents in Leighwood Fields are keen to see this access point moved away from in front of their houses. One of our Trustees will engage with senior management at the developers to progress this discussion.
Safety on Knowle Lane: Concerns were raised about safety when crossing Knowle Lane to access the Park. Councillor Liz Townsend confirmed that safety measures will be agreed and installed soon by Surrey Highways, with more details to follow.
Event Advertising and Communication: A visitor suggested we explore other ways to advertise events for those who don’t use social media, such as posters or flyers in local shops and community boards. We will look into expanding our promotional activities to reach more of the community.
Enhanced Volunteer Engagement: One attendee recommended that we recruit more volunteer coordinators to manage our growing teams and streamline scheduling activities. We also discussed the need for a dedicated park administrator to support these efforts and help keep everyone informed.
We are grateful for the suggestions and input from everyone who attended. Your feedback helps us create a better Park for all. We’re excited to start working on these ideas and look forward to sharing more updates soon!
If you have additional feedback or ideas, or if you’d like to get involved, please reach out to us. Together, we can continue making Knowle Park a place that everyone in the community can enjoy and be proud of.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need more people to join our team! We’re looking for a Treasurer, volunteer coordinators, a Park administrator, a fundraising lead, and volunteer champions for each of our six categories. If you’d like to get involved, please get in touch.
Thank You
We’d like to thank everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion. Your support and feedback help shape the future of Knowle Park, making it a wonderful place for our community and wildlife.
We look forward to continuing to grow and improve the Park, together. Keep an eye out for our annual report and more exciting announcements soon!
For more information about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, or how you can get involved, please visit our website or get in touch with us directly.
