Welcome
The Friends of Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
DOWNLOAD THE MOST RECENT NEWS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS AND PARK ACTIVITIES
21/05/2020. BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND 23-25TH MAY.
MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL HAVE ISSUED A STATEMENT COVERING THE BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND STARTING SATURDAY 23RD MAY. FOR INFORMATION GO TO THE WEBSITE:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKMANCHESTER/bulletins/28cbd35
19/05/2020. There are new guidelines about the use of parks from the City Council. Please click on the link above to read them.
09/05/2020. The Bank Holiday weekend is with us. Please keep to all the guidelines and restrictions that are currently in place. Thank you to all those who are carefully observing distancing and rules about gatherings and essential exercise. They are most important.
13/04/2020. Accounts are that members of the public using Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens over the Easter weekend behaved well and according to the government guidelines; there were no reported incidents or infringements. Well done and thank you!
09/04/2020. EASTER WEEKEND. We have received notification from the Council about their concern for the forthcoming Easter weekend, where a combination of fine weather and people's traditional actIvities might lead to contravention of the regulations concerning gatherings, social distancing, once a day exercise, etc. Some councils have closed their parks and Manchester is trying its best not to go down that route.
So please do your bit to observe the regulations and guidance (see below). Thankyou.
06/04/2020: The park and gardens remain open as usual for the time being, but visitors are urged to strictly follow the government advice: use the park for essential exercise only (no sunbathing, picnics, barbecues, gatherings of more than two people); keep the two metre distance from others.
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DOGS MUST BE ON A LEAD AT ALL TIMES AND IN ALL AREAS OF THE PARK
(CITY COUNCIL ORDER)
Thankyou.
- The café is closed for the forseeable future
- The toilets are also closed
03/04/2020: No recent updates
31/03/2020: No recent updates
Contact us - we'd like to hear from you
Please use the 'Contact Us' tab (menu on left) with any of your questions, opinions or thoughts about Fletcher Moss or Parsonage Gardens.
Or e-mail: info@fletchermossgardens.org.uk
Latest (please go to the 'News' page for more details)
Cancelled AGM. Our proposed AGM for 25th March has been cancelled. If you would like to read the reports of the Chair, Vice-chair, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer please go to the 'News' page where you will be able to download them. Reading them gives a good picture of the work that our wonderful volunteers have contributed over the past year.
Wellbeeing Garden. We have been given a grant of £15,500 from the Government's 'Pocket Parks' initiative to turn part of the old grass tennis courts into a garden which will aim to be 'therapeutic' and welcoming for all, but particularly for people with mental and physical needs who would benefit from a close interaction with nature. And it is 'wellbeeing' because it will be good for bees and other insects as well, all of which need all the help we can give them. Read more in the News section ...
Fletcher Moss is a "well loved park". This was an award from the Fields in Trust charity, as part of their 'Best Loved Parks' scheme. A presenation of the award took place in the park attended by representatives of the Council, the Friends' group and the RSPB.
RSPB founded in Fletcher Moss Park. June 2019 saw a celebration of the 130 years since the founding of the RSPB in 1892. This was in large part due to the heroic efforts of Emily Williamson, who lived in the Croft from 1892 to 1912. Emily was appalled at the wanton killing of birds for their plumage, to be used in millinery and fashion adornments. The ceremony was attended by a relative of Emily's, Professor Melissa Bateman, and by Jeff Smith our local MP.
Sewage. The water and sewage issues at Fletcher Moss remain, and progress might have been made at a meeting on 25th March 2020. However that meeting has now been cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns. It is quite amazing that in the year 2020 raw sewage from St James' Church is being discharged into an open stream in a public park. Should there be outrage over this? It'S hard to find anyone who is seriously interested in the matter. The Friends'g group will keep plugging away.
Past News. The Officers and Committee have drawn up a 'Memorials Policy' for Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens. See the 'News' section for further details.
CONSULTATION ON PARK PLAN
All members of the Friends' group are invited to read and comment on the draft plan for Fletcher Moss, now being drawn up by the Council. Please let us know what you think of the plan, or just contact us about anything that you think needs to be done over the next three years.
THE CAFÉ IS NOW UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT AND IS OPEN EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. PLEASE GIVE IT A TRY. A WELL RUN AND WELL STOCKED CAFÉ IS A VERY IMPORTANT ASSET IN OUR PARK.
STOP PRESS: Regrettably the Café has had to close for the time being due to the Coronavirus restrictions
Introduction and background to the Friends' group
The ‘Friends of Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens’ group was formed in early 2006. At the time it was realised that parks and gardens needed some degree of ‘protection’ – from developers, from easy cuts to funding, and, in some cases, from damage and neglect. We also wanted to create a sense of ‘ownership' of the park by local people and by many others from further afield who loved and valued the Fletcher Moss area – its Gardens, Stenner Woods and Millgate Fields, its beauty and tranquillity.
Since its formation the Friends' group has worked closely with the City Council and with the Mersey Valley Warden Service to establish priorities for the maintenance and enhancement of the park, to provide volunteers for work where it is needed, and to raise funds for projects by applications to grant-awarding bodies. These efforts have produced significant results: the Alpine House behind the Old Parsonage has been completely transformed – what was once derelict has now one of the best collection of alpines in the north of England; safety rails and signposts have improved the area in and around the rockery gardens; noticeboards have been erected at the Visitor Centre and in Parsonage Gardens; plants and trees of many varieties have been introduced throughout the park; and a Local Nature Reserve with a Nature Trail has been established in Stenner Woods and Millgate Fields.
Regular activities include a Volunteering session every Tuesday morning in Parsonage Gardens, a second Volunteering session every Wednesday afternoon at Fletcher Moss Park, and a Health Walk every Monday afternoon from the Visitor Centre at The Croft, Fletcher Moss (see further details in the ‘Activities’ section).
(Note: Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens are open every day of the year from dawn to dusk. Entrance is free. Dog restrictions apply in some signed areas.)
We are keen to have as much local input as possible, not only in our walks and volunteering, but in any matters connected with the management of the park and in its future. Our Committee meetings are held once every three months and we have an Annual General Meeting in late spring. All these meetings are open to any members of the Friends' group. If you have any views or questions about the park and its facilities you could also contact us by e-mail. We have a strong and supportive membership and we warmly invite you to become a member of the group if you care about the park and gardens; as a member you will receive a Newsletter every quarter and know that you are contributing to the well-being of this precious area.
To get in touch with us about any matter(s) connected with the Park and Gardens use the 'Contact' button on the left or mail us at: info@fletchermossgardens.org.uk