Coronation party in the park
A CELEBRATION picnic for the King’s Coronation is being planned in Page Park.
The park in Staple Hill will be one of hundreds of places across the country to host a Coronation Big Lunch on Sunday May 7, the day after King Charles III and the Queen Consort are due to be crowned at Westminster Abbey.
Last year the Friends of Page Park hosted a huge party for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Thousands of people came along to enjoy an event which had music, competitions, games, rides, food, craft and information stalls.
This year’s event will take a slightly different form, with the focus firmly on food and music.
There will be groups performing on the bandstand and sensory garden, as well as a variety of food stalls, including pizza, Jamaican pastries and the Thai stall which was a big hit at the jubilee event.
The Coronation Big Lunch will run from 11am to 5pm.
Friends vice-chair Steph Purser said: “The aim is to bring people together with their families and friends to have their own fun.”
People are being encouraged to bring their own picnic tables, chairs and gazebos, and can also bring their own picnics to share.
However people are being advised not to bring barbecues along to the event, as they are not permitted in the park.
There will be a red, white and blue theme for anyone wanting to dress up.
People are being asked to walk to the event if possible, to avoid blocking the roads around the park.
There are still slots available for performers and food stalls at the event.
Organisers are also asking for people to help marshalling and shaking fundraising collection buckets on the day.
Anyone who would like to get involved should email friendsofpageparkbs16@gmail.com.
To find out more about Coronation Big Lunch events, which will take place from May 6-8 across the Coronation bank holiday weekend, visit www.edenprojectcommunities.com.
Birds’ home gets revamp
THE aviary for budgies and finches in Page Park has been given a revamp.
Ropes and macramé swings, a new feeding station with branches, and wire mesh for some flightless budgies to climb have been installed, thanks to a volunteer group that has been set up to help look after the birds’ home.
The aviary structure was renovated in 2021 and the population has recently increased with arrivals of birds whose owners had passed away or could no longer look after them.
Friends vice-chair Steph Purser said: “All of the birds in the aviary are rescue birds and do not breed.
“There are still a few more improvements to go but the aviary is looking really good.
“We think the birds are enjoying it, because it’s very noisy now!”
Photo contest cash prize
PAGE Park’s annual photo competition will have a cash prize for the winning entry this year.
The picture chosen for the front cover of the Friends of Page Park’s 2024 calendar will win £125 for the photographer who took it.
The competition is open to entries from amateur and professional photographers, from now until June 30.
Pictures should be in landscape format and should not include any images of people.
Judges are looking for pictures that showcase the park through the four seasons, and will accept up to four photos per person.
Full details and terms of the competition can be found at the friendsofpagepark.co.uk website.
Friends vice-chair Steph Purser said: “The calendars are a fantastic fundraiser for us. We hope the new cash prize will bring in even more entries and variety of pictures.”
The calendars will go on sale from September, raising money for the latest project in the park, new fully-accessible toilets for people with disabilities. The Friends need to raise another £3,000 to complete the group’s contribution towards the project.
Donations can also be made via links on the Friends’ website.
Nordic walking group launches
PEOPLE can try out a new way of getting exercise in Page Park this month.
Nordic walking is like regular walking while using ski-style poles to exercise the upper body. Free introductory sessions will be held during March before three two-month courses are held on Mondays from 10-11am, starting in late March, June and September.
Organisers Let’s Walk Bristol, who provide the poles and instructors for the courses, have received funding from the government to run courses to encourage people from minority ethnic and low-income groups to increase their levels of exercise.
While the courses are open to everyone, people from these groups will have places reserved.
For more information visit www.letswalkbristol.org, email info@letswalkbristol.org or call Subitha on 07721 711687.
Help us plant bench blooms
PEOPLE are being urged to take part in a volunteering session to plant flowers and other vegetation around Page Park’s Celebration Bench, near the tennis courts.
The session will be held during March: anyone interested can email friendsofpageparkbs16@gmail.com or keep an eye on the friends’ Facebook page for updates.