Young’s ParkPaignton

Community Project2015

CONTENTS PageIntroduction 1

Flower Beds 2

Bug Boxes 3

Boat Project 4

Wild Fowl Conservation Area 5

Bandstand Events 7

Awards 8

Projects 9

Tactile sign/CCTV 10

Consultations 11

Social Events 12

Newspapers 13

Acknowledgements 14

Young's Park People are a democratic, voluntary group, dedicated tocaring for and cherishing Young's Park in Goodrington in Paignton.

Formed on 1st May 2007, by park users, locals, holiday visitorsand traders, who decided it was time to bring the beauty back to thishistoric, unique park, by the sea.

· To return Young's Park and Goodrington Promenade to its former glory.· To plant and maintain flower beds, bringing colour into the park.· To achieve Green Flag status for the park.

· Liaise with the local parks department to ensure this natural asset is preserved

Since it’s conception this voluntary group of like minded people who havetaken the welfare of this beautiful park to heart. We have managed, withthe help of Torbay Council and Tor 2, to achieve all of our initial aims. Now itis a case of maintaining these high standards.We know as a group that it is sometimes harder to keep the enthusiasmand momentum going after so many years. Despite our numbers slightlyreducing from a peak of 120 in 2011, we are still very highly active andachieving new goals!

Mission Statement

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Introduction

Young’s Park People

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Among our greatest achievement has been the continued vast improvementwe have made to the many flower beds of Young’s Park. The greatest partof the credit for this must go to our dedicated volunteers.

Flower Beds

Bug Boxes

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With the help of Hayes Road Primary school,Young’s Park People have installed five“Bug Boxes” around the park to attract and encouragepollination.These new homes are located in our three main flowerbeds and we are awaiting new tenants to arrive!

Bug Boxes ready for installation

Primary School Childrenfilling the bug homes.

Boat Project

The flower bed by the Life Saving Club has unfortunately been letting downthe park since a new manhole access was dug, in the middle of the bed.The rubble thrown all over the flower bed by the contractors has been anightmare to our volunteers. We decided on a new approach. To haveprocured a tender boat from Paignton harbour ~ many thanks to theHarbour Master. After a couple of coats of paint it looks pretty good.We purchased weed matting and 1.5 tons of blue/black 10 ml chippings.To finish off the project new fence posts and reinforced wire fencing wasinstalled. Thanks also to Tor2 for the half truck of good top soil. Plantsfrom the original bed have gone into the boat and our other flowerbeds.

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finished display

Wild Fowl Conservation Area

YPP have updated the Management Plan for the Wildfowl Conservation Area. This revised Plannow runs until 2023. It will be regularly reviewed.The only real main amendments are we are now allowed into this area once in late Augustto remove invasive plants. The previous plan did not allow this due to possible late breadingin the area. The other difference is the Council have taken back the maintenance of themain thoroughfare from the gate at the car park to the gate at the Young’s Park Road end.

The full Management Plan is available to view on our web-site: www.ypp.me.uk

As usual the YPP volunteers were busy this Winter/Spring in clearing the waterways andtackling the invasive species. We have noticed this year that clearing the willow herb hasallowed the hogweed (Heracleum) to be more prevalent. The good news is we seem to havemany more Southern Marsh Orchids this year.This spring volunteers removed some 15 poplar trees which were “taking over” parts of theconservation area. More will need to be thinned out again next year.

YPP volunteers cleared the waterways in the conservation area

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As ever volunteers were hard at work in the conservation areaduring the months of January and February.

The main work is once again concentrated on clearing the manywaterways, ensuring the area doesn’t flood and the flow continuesout to the nature pond. Dave, who runs the bumper boatconcessions, then releases the excess water out through a valvemechanism into the drain system.

Insurance cover was an issue this year but was finally resolved byTim Eley with a policy from RHS covering all parks that enter theSouth West in Bloom competition.

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A variety of musical events held in the last year

Since gaining £50,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to build the YPP bandstand/performance area, in 2010 this marvellous facility has been extremely well used.Each month in the summer we hold at least four or five events. We have organisedBrass Bands, Youth artists and bands from South Devon College, schools and localchurches.

Bandstand Events

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Summer GIG 2014

YPP AWARDS Just a selection of some of ourachievements over the years.

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Young’s Park People have had great success in the last eight years, in gaining fundingfor various projects.£49,950 for the Bandstand/Performance Area£3,000 sustainability grant£10,000 Boardwalk extension,seating and interpretation boards £10,000 Dippingplatform with bespoke signage£1,000 for garden tools and water butts.Numerous other small funding i.e. for benches from the

Goodrington & Hookhills Partnership.

We were awarded £750 from our Mayor’s Fund and we were also successful for£2,000, from the Lottery for more musical events. Last year we granted £450 matchfunding from Torbay Council for our Summer Gig 2014.

Our biggest projects to date

Bay Brass 3rd June 2015

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Mayor’s Fund

Part of our early successful Lottery funding was allocatedfor Close Circuit Television Cameras now installed inYoung’s Park.

The main reason for this was to protect the area in general,but the bandstand and swans in particular. For 4 years ourpair of beautiful Mute Swans had not produced anycygnets. In 2008 there was evidence that the eggs hadbeen interfered with! Due to lack of evidence nothinghappened.

This year we have been blessed with three really gorgeous,healthy cygnets, who are now growing up fast!

CCTV

Each year our Mayor ~ GordonOliver~returns half his allowanceto good causes in Torbay. Thisamounts to £30,000 which thisyear was shared among some40 groups in the Bay.Young’s Park People appliedand was successful in obtaininga marvellous £750.We have erected a tactile andbraille sign depicting a part ofthe history of Young’s Park.This is placed at the end ofthe long flowerbed adjacent tothe Bandstand and playpark.It is on a lectern style fitting atwheelchair height.

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Young’s Park People are a democratic group and are aware thatmany groups with committees are at risk of doing what theywant, believing it is want “Joe Public” wants. We are adamantthis will not happen with YPP. To ensure this we hold regularconsultations in the park, to ask what the park users want fortheir park.

Of those questioned on the day of our last consultation over90% said the park meet their needs well or very well.Our next consultation will be mid summer to get the views ofholiday makers as well as local park users.

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Consultations

The Weary Ploughman at Churston was thevenueof our annual Christmas function. It allhappened on Tuesday 9th December. Thefood, service and company were allexemplary. We were extremely well lookedafter and our thanks go to the managementand staff of the Weary Ploughman for makingit such a lovely evening.

Torbay Concert Brass once again played at our Carols in the Park event onSunday 14th December. Despite a nip in the air, we held it in the SpanishShelter, a great time was had by all. Many thanks to Torbay Concert Brassand we look forward to their continuing concerts this coming summer inthe YPP Bandstand under their new pseudonym Bay Brass.

Christmas Concert

Christmas Dinner 2014

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Newspaper reportsYPP have been most fortunate to receive valuable exposure viaour local newspaper the Herald Express in the last eight years.

We have had various press releases published and articles byTina Crownson Digging Deep correspondent and Editor JimParker.

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AcknowledgementsTorbay Council

Herald Express

All Young’s Park People

Photographs by:~

Rachel Blackwell

Steve Gorman© Young’s Park People

Contact: Secretary Ruth Gorman Harwin Apartments 21, Alta Vista Road Paignton TQ4 6DA

e-mail: ypp_goodrington@hotmail.co.uk

www. ypp.me.uk

Phone: 07952497364

Twitter: @YoungsParkPeopl

Three cute little cygnets

Southern Marsh Orchid

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