The Friends of Roundhay Park - FoRP - Achievements....
We are proud to have played a role in many of the improvements that have taken place within the Park over the last few years. We have achieved many of our aims including
The provision of 10 new litter bins.
Upper Lake clearance
Removal and repositioning of ice cream vans
Removal of old fencing
Re-painting of life belt stands around the lakes
As a non-profit making organisation our funds raised from membership subscriptions, donations and informal events have been invested directly into improvements and conservation projects within the Park. Over the last year these include:
The restoration of footpath and steps within the rose gardens
The provision of trees for new plantings
A donation towards the renovation of the Millennium Bell
Annual Festival of Bulb Planting
We had an excellent bulb planting on Saturday 18th October 2003. Sixteen volunteers including eight Girl Guides from No. 1 Roundhay planted 10,000 English Bluebells (not the Spanish interlopers) in the triangle of grass where the road meets the carriage drive opposite the boathouse
The Mary Gordon Trust.
The Mary Gordon, the electric launch, which plied Waterloo Lake for 20 odd years in the early 19th century has 'resurfaced'! Having left Roundhay Park in 1923 she spent a great many years in Lincolnshire where she attracted another group of admiring passengers whom she carried on trips between Lincoln, Gainsborough and Boston. The next period of her history remains shrouded in mystery however she is known to have been out of the water awaiting restoration since the early 1970's somewhere in Cheshire. In 1999 the Mary Gordon Trust was established and they transported her 'home' to Lincolnshire where she is being lovingly restored.
The Friends of Roundhay Park are keen to help, particularly with historical information to assist the restoration project and to include this information in our historical archives. If you have any memories, photographs, newspaper cuttings etc. you may contact us at FoRP, P.O. Box 129, LEEDS. LS8 2YU. We will be happy to arrange the scanning of any documentation so do get in touch and play a part in keeping the history of Roundhay Park alive.
We will keep you update as to the project here on the web site and in our Newsletters or you can visit the Mary Gordon Trust site at http://www.marygordon.org.uk.
FoRP Work Parties
The FoRP 'Litter Pick was well attended with 11 people and 16 bags of litter collected. The young people from the Leeds Boat Club also collected about 6 bags of litter from the landing bay and around the underneath of the cafe. Two teenage girls broke off from their walk in the Park to help too. This was very much appreciated and very encouraging. Thank you to all who came along and donated their time and effort.
The Work Party Challenge was again a Litter Pick. Concentrating around the two lake sides. You may have seen more evidence of these endeavours in the 'North Leeds News' insert in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
More litter picking has been carried out in the 'Oakwood Clock' area.
FORP to benefit from Leeds Co-operative Charity Stamp Scheme
The Leeds Co-operative Society have a scheme for any unwanted dividend stamps. In each store is a collection box and each month the total number of stamps from all the boxes within the Leeds area are calculated and a cheque for the equivalent in cash is sent to the charity or community group nominated to be beneficiaries that month.
The Friends of Roundhay Park were nominated as the group.
Bulb planting update
The bulbs planted by our families and children at the Wetherby Road Entrance to Carriage Drive showed in March! We're sure you and the children who took part in the planting enjoyed watching them grow and bloom over the following months.