Selly Oak Festival 18th June 2011

We will be hosting the 2011 Selly Oak Festival on 18th June 2011. This will include a junior (8-11yr, 5-a-side) football tournament. To request a stall or enter a team please e-mail festival@friendsofsellyoakpark.org.uk

Welcome Post



New welcome post



Oak leaf motif



A new welcome post has been installed at the Harborne Lane / Gibbins Rd entrance to the park. Carved from solid wood the post depicts a canal boat approaching a bridge. This image was chosen because the park is bordered by the old Dudley No. 2 (Lapal) canal and the post is close to the site of Harborne Wharf (now occupied by the Scout Hut). The post, which was paid for in part by the Lapal Canal Trust, is part of our Nature and History trail. It is matched with a similar welcome post depicting a woodpecker which sits at the top of the Gibbins Rd frontage. Both posts feature an oak leaf motif on their reverse sides to represent Selly Oak.



Woodpecker post



We expect the Nature / History trail to be completed in mid March. The trail itself is funded by Birmingham City Council and Grassroots. Nature items will include a story telling bench with bird carvings designed by children at St Mary's School, a signpost indicating natural features of the world, a willow sculpture, the Millennium wood, and signs relating to park wildlife and habitat. History items will include the park keepers lodge and the first park keeper, the donors of the park; Mrs Gibbins and her sons, Weoley Park Farm and the Lapal Canal.

Memories?

Do you have connections with, or memories of, Selly Oak Park?

• What are your first memories of the Park?
• When did those events take place?
• How have things changed?
• Have you got photographs of the Park in days gone by?

Would you be willing to share memories and photographs with us?

The Friends of Selly Oak Park would be delighted to hear from you. You can comment or post a reply here or, if you would prefer, you can send an email to: history@friendsofsellyoakpark.org.uk.

Local Schools can read about Park History

We have been very pleased to present signed copies of the new book, "The Heydays of Selly Oak Park", which records the early history of the Park, to the following local schools:

St Mary's Church of England Primary (Lodge Hill Rd)
St Edward's Catholic Primary (Selly Park)
Tiverton Primary (Tiverton Rd)
Raddlebarn Primary (Gristhorpe Rd)
Watermill Primary (Water Mill Close)
Cherry Oak School (Frederick Rd)

The first four of these schools are mentioned in the book; the last two are newer schools, opened since 1911. Northfield Manor Primary School (Swarthmore Rd) also received a book - they have taken part in our Annual Festival football competition. Dame Elizabeth Cadbury Technology College was also presented with a book, acknowledging the Cadbury connection with the park. Mrs. Emma Gibbins, who with her sons donated the Park to the district in 1899, was a member of the Cadbury family.
Visit our history page to read for yourself.

Tree planting

We are greatful to Ariel Scouts for donating 30 trees to the park. The trees were planted on Sat 4th Dec 2010 following the Scout Group AGM. After the tree planting we all went back to the Scout hut for hot dogs, burgers and a nice warm cup of tea!

AMB Landscaping to the rescue

New bench back in play area

Many thanks again to AMB Landscaping who stepped in to refit the new bench in the play area just days after it was removed by vandals.

New football posts

Goal posts in Selly Oak Park

We are very pleased to announce that a new set of football posts have been installed in the park. These replace the posts that were vandalised last winter. We hope that these posts will last a little longer. The posts were provided with funds from the Elford Trust which provides funding for the healthy recreation for Birmingham citizens.