Friends of Cromwell Avenue Park

WHO ARE WE?

We are a recently formed non-profit-making voluntary group dedicated to the improvement of a local community facility Cromwell Avenue Park.

The group was formed at an inaugural meeting at Rose Hill School on the 29th February 2012. We have an enthusiastic committee with the usual officers. Our aims are outlined in our approved constitution and are listed below.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• To promote the park as a young children play area.
• To promote the park as a focus for community projects.
• To increase community awareness of the value of the park.
• To develop the park to meet present and future needs.
• The general improvement of the park environment and facilities.
• To ensure the park is maintained in a safe and sound condition.
• To discourage anti-social behaviour within the confines of the park.

WHERE ARE WE?

The park is located at the end of the cul-de-sac named Cromwell Avenue, which is accessed from Marina Drive. Cromwell Avenue is sandwiched between Vernon Drive and Claremont Avenue.

Pedestrian access can be gained from Marple Hall Drive via a narrow alleyway located almost opposite the junction of Flagwood Avenue and Marple Hall Drive.

The park is surrounded by houses on three sides, north, south and east. The west side of the park fronts onto the end of the road in Cromwell Avenue.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Cromwell Avenue Park is one of the smallest parks, if not the smallest park in Stockport MBC. Its location appears to be rather bizarre from both a functional and environmental aspect. It owes its location to the fact that this particular plot of land was once a pool in the grounds of Marple Hall (so I am told).

Certainly there are marshy areas along the south and west perimeter of the park which would support this statement. Because of the poor drainage and the possibility of subsidence problems the land was not used for building, when the rest of the houses in Cromwell Avenue were built. Turning the land into a park seemed a good idea at the time.

We still believe it to be a good idea and this is borne out from knowing numerous children who used the park and now return with their own children to use the park. Over the years the park has had its good years and its bad years dependent on the whims of the people in power at Stockport MBC and the money available to the Council at the time.

In the early part of this year it was decided to form the Friends of Cromwell Avenue Park Group. The way forward is to upgrade the play equipment on the park and its general appearance. To date we have made some small steps towards achieving aspects of our stated aims whilst hoping to press forward with an added momentum in the long term.

We are appreciative of any advice people may offer and welcome offers of help with both administrative and operational issues. We have strong support from Stockport MBC and are making links with other groups of a similar nature to feed off their experience and strengthen our voice in this field.

HOW CAN I HELP?

There are many ways to provide help to our project and the first way is to make our project your project by simply providing your support, in person, in writing, or as an additional voice, when needed.

Other ways you can help are:-

• By using the park.
• By identifying, what you see as, problems within the parkBy promoting the use of the park within the area.
• By reporting, what you see as, anti-social behaviour.
• By dropping any litter into the bin provided for that purpose.
• By passing forward to a Committee Member, your children's or grand-children's views about the park.
• By providing ideas for future improvements to Committee Members.
• By indicating any ideas you might have for support funding to Committee Members.
• By volunteering to carry out some physical work on the park.
• By bringing to Committee Members any ideas for projects on the park, especially those involving local children's groups.
• By offering your support to specific projects that we may embark on in the future.

Do remember this when you are tempted to volunteer. A volunteer is only for the moment not for life.

Volunteers choose what they want to do, when they can and want to do it, but how it has to be done is dependent upon Stockport MBC. So if you have a moment to spare you know who to contact and where to come.