The second and final Astley Park Bat Walk and Talk of the year is taking place on the evening of Saturday 24th August starting at 8.00pm from the front door of Astley Hall. It will comprise a short talk by Harold Green of the Merseyside and West Lancs Bat Group followed by a guided walk to look for the bats.
There will be a charge of £2.00 for adults with under 16’s free – payment on the night. Numbers are limited so advance booking is essential – please contact Maurice on 01257 271507 or via emandbeejay@talktalk.net. The walk will finish at 10pm.
Please bring a torch and wear strong shoes. If you have a bat detector, please bring it.
If it is raining, the event will be cancelled, as the bats will not be flying.
The 2024 Chorley Flower Show was a big success for the Friends of Astley Park. Helped by generally good weather over the three days we certainly attracted a lot of interest at our stall and this was helped by the Friends’ award winning nearby Community Garden that showcased our work.
The painting raffle was particularly popular due to the very attractive artwork prize which was won by Natasha Clark from Bolton who was thrilled to be the recipient. We also signed up five new members to help us with our important work in the Park. All the effort in preparing our exhibits and staffing them by our volunteers paid off. So, a big debt of gratitude is owed to them. Below are just three of our volunteers pictured with Chorley’s MP, Lindsay Hoyle.
After months of preparation and days of setting up by the exhibitors the Chorley Flower Show opened to sunny skies at 10am this morning and continues until Sunday (28th July). This year numerous groups have produced Community Gardens including the Friends. Designed and led by our Committee member Jan Sanderson and assisted by Friends volunteers Connie and David Joyce, Steve Hodgson, Lynda Sutch and Sue Jackson, the team have produced a highly distinctive and colourful model garden replicating the key features of Astley Park.
You can find the Garden across the lake bridge from the Hall alongside the temporary path to the Grand Floral Marquee.
Also nearby is our stall.
If you are at the Show, here you will find creative activities for kids, and in exchange for donations, a wide range of plants, attractive flower pots and specially made drainage pot stands, unique greeting cards and the opportunity to win an original painting – all given or produced by our members. Please also take the opportunity to check out all that we do and find out about all the benefits you could enjoy by being a member.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of trees in Astley Park. Some comprise woodland areas, others stand separate from other trees. Most of the trees are within Great Wood which stretches along much of the southern edge of the Park. This is designated and protected as an Ancient Woodland which means it has existed since at least 1600. Other individual trees have been purposely planted to enhance the appearance of the Park. That process has occurred for hundreds of years from the time the Park comprised the private landscaped grounds of Astley Hall and continues to this day.
Picking up on a suggestion made by the judges at last years’ Britain in Bloom competition we have a developed a trail through the Park which picks out, with photographs and fascinating facts, a selection of mainly freestanding trees, covering some of the Park’s more interesting species and specimens. It also displays images of their leaves and, in some cases, their nuts, flowers and bark.
The Trail is presented Here as a self-guided walk that can be completed in about 30 minutes. There is also a short leaflet available that can be used to spot and record the trees which all have a small waymarker sign on or near them.
The trees are listed in an order that starts from near the main gates at Park Road. It then proceeds past the Sensory Garden and then back to the main path where it crosses the River Chor. The Trail then continues along the main path towards Astley Hall before continuing down the side of the bowling greens and finishing next to the nearby River Chor bridge. However, the Trail can be followed in whatever direction you wish. All 19 trees included can be seen from made paths in the Park.
Once again, the Chorley Flower Show is coming to Astley Park. This year it is on 26th, 27th and 28th of July. In addition to our stall (last year’s pictured below), the Friends are also entering the Community Garden competition.
Designed by our member Jan Sanderson, the Friends’ Community Garden entry is up against a record number of others this year – 17. The gardens are judged against criteria associated with how well they convey their project’s brief. More details of the Friends’ entry and photographs of it will be posted on this website when the garden has been built.
In the meantime, see below an image of the delightful painting our member Sandra Sugden has produced and donated to be raffled this year.
Please come to our bright and colourful stall to get a ticket for the draw. Here you will also find fun activities for children, plants available for a donation and, featuring for the first time this year – our unique plant pot stands, carefully made by our member Steve Hodgson. You can also discover all the Park activities we get involved in and how you can join us.
Himalayan Balsam as the name suggests originates from south east Asia. It was introduced into Britain in the 1800’s, along with many other oriental species, brought here by plant collectors working for commercial nurseries. However, unlike most other introduced plants, it is very invasive to the extent that it impoverishes habitats by its shading effect so killing off other plants. By law it is an offence to plant or cause Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) to grow in the wild.
We Need Your Help
Balsam plants, which grow up to 3 metres tall, can each produce 100’s of seeds, that are easily spread. The most effective way to control Balsam is to pull up the near-mature plants. Fortunately, they are shallow rooted so with care and practice can be pulled out of the ground intact. Then to kill the plant the stem should be snapped. The time of year to do this ‘Balsam Bashing’ is normally in July and early August – just after the birds’ nesting season and before the seeds appear. Unfortunately, this is not a one off task. The seeds can lie dormant in the ground for several years before they germinate. So, it is necessary to go back to areas previously cleared years before and repeat the job.
This year several groups are helping us – the Probation Service Community Payback team, volunteers from Lancashire Wildlife Trust and the Bibby Group, along with pupils from St Laurence’s C of E Primary School. But that still won’t be enough to remove all the Balsam from Astley Park. Friends’ volunteers are doing an extra Saturday morning session on 6th July along with a scheduled one on 13th. If you want to help us please come along to the Coach House courtyard for 9.30am in long sleeves and trousers with sturdy footwear and gloves.
Friends of Astley Park 