Friends Group relaunch in Brimington with a family friendly Teddy Bears Picnic

Julie Williamson, Chair of the Friends Group said, “We officially relaunched the group earlier this year and have held a couple of open meetings to bring a new committee on board and get things moving again. This event was a team effort, from creating the flyers and promotion, to bringing the games, litter picking and organising the day. We are absolutely thrilled that so many people came to join us, which just shows how, with a little bit of effort, we can come together and use the Park as a community.”

Harriet Loxley, Group Secretary also comments, “We were very lucky to have such great weather as this made setting up and the event itself so much more fun. Families stayed for almost four hours in total which was great to see. We are grateful to everyone who came along and are looking forward to running more free events like this over the summer months.”

Fellow resident Victoria Castelluccio, comments “The Friends of Thistle Park did a great job in organising this family friendly event. The kids (and bigger kids) loved the free games and activities, especially the parachute and jumping rocket. Gio’s ices turning up halfway through and spotting a missing hawk nestled in the tree were just some of the highlights. There was a real sense of community, and a lovely atmosphere, and my family were glad to have the opportunity to attend. Big thanks to the organisers, we know you spent a lot of time in the background getting things ready for the day and it was a huge success and appreciated.”

The Friends of Thistle Park group has been relaunched to bring the park back to life again and raise the necessary funds to complete vital groundworks to rectify the drainage and reinstate the football pitch, create new areas with seating, flowerbeds, walkways and upgraded recreation equipment and facility.

Mrs Williamson continues, “The Park is an important space for the residents in Brimington but it is rarely used as the drainage is so bad. To make sure we fully understood the needs of the community, we sent an online survey out and received over 100 responses in the first couple of weeks. This has given us plenty of feedback and direction to make the park a great place for everyone. We have a great team and are working hard getting the funding in place to take the first steps.”

To find out more about the events and activities of the Group, please visit www.facebook.com/FriendsofEastwoodThistleParkBrimington/