Hello, and welcome to our newsletter for December, with Christmas now firmly in our sights!
We’ve got lots coming up in the park before the end of this year, starting with our Winter Warmer celebration tomorrow evening. We would love to see you there!
Read on for more details of what’s happening.
It’s the time of the year for tree planting, while the trees are dormant and ground conditions are damp, giving newly planted trees the best possible start.
On Saturday afternoon, we planted around 600 young trees (whips) with help from our regular volunteers and a group from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community who joined us in the park for the first time. Thank you to Surrey County Council for donating the trees, stakes and guards.
We’ve got a few more trees to plant tomorrow (Tuesday) morning at 9.30am, and then a community orchard planting session on Friday, to plant 40 fruit trees to establish this new resource for the community. Do join us if you can – we’re meeting at 10am on Friday (by the kiosks) ready for a morning of digging and planting.
Get ready for a jolly good time! The Trustees of Knowle Park Trust invite you to join us for carol singing and festive fun by the Heartwork Coffee and Moooh! Ice Cream kiosks.
Our Winter Warmer event takes place tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd December) from 5.30pm until 8pm by the Heartwork Coffee kiosk. We also welcome Cara Gorda Cantina for delicious Turkisk food. There will be carol singing and a fire pit for toasting marshmallows. We hope to see you there!
Here’s our Winter programme at Knowle Park, with something for everyone.
Tickets for Santa’s Grotto on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th December are going fast, with only a handful remaning at the time of writing. You can book your tickets for this at knowlepark.org.uk/grotto
We also hope to see you in the park for Candlelit Carols by the Lake at 4pm on Saturday 21st December, led by Cranleigh Baptist Church and open to everyone.
Male stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) with bugs in beak ready to feed to young. Yellow gorse flower background. Pembrokeshire, May.
Our latest sighting in the park is a Stonechat, a Robin-sized bird and winter visitor to this part of the country. Stonechats are frequently seen flicking their wings while perched, often doing so on the tops of low bushes. As its name suggests, these birds utter a sharp loud call that sounds like two stones being tapped together.
We’re thrilled to share that Fish, a stunning stainless steel sculpture, has found its new home here at Knowle Park. This beautiful piece was generously donated by Natasha and her family, in loving memory of Patrick Birley.
The artist, Leigh Dyer, is a renowned sculptor specialising in stainless steel. His incredible work can be found throughout Hastings Old Town, including the famous chess pieces in Butler’s Gap, the winkle on Winkle Island, and Landing on Hastings beach.
We feel incredibly privileged to welcome Fish to our park, where it can be admired by all our visitors. It’s a wonderful addition, and we’re excited about the possibility of more art installations in the future.
Next time you visit, see if you can spot Fish and enjoy its beauty in this special setting.
