This year’s Cherry Blossom Picnic will be held on Sunday 26th April, 2-4pm.
Bring your own picnic, refreshments available.
Activities include storytelling, face painting and calligraphy.
We look forward to seeing you to all there!
Thank you to all those that joined us for our Christmas Gathering on 30th November. Many wreaths were made and hot chocolates sipped, all whilst listening to the fabulous Edinburgh Brass Band. Together we raised an amazing £1685.48 which will go towards developing and maintaining the park over the next year.
In other news, we were delighted to recently be awarded the It’s Your Neighbourhood award 2025.
It’s Your Neighbourhood is an award managed by Keep Scotland Beautiful and the Royal Horticultural Society. The award is is designed for volunteer-led community groups which are cleaning and beautifying their neighbourhoods, whether through community allotments, after school wildlife clubs, school eco-groups, Friends of Park groups, or adopting pieces of derelict land.
Friends of Starbank Park won the award with a Level 5 – Outstanding and with a Certificate of Distinction.
Well done to all those involved for keeping the Park beautiful!
This Saturday the volunteer group had one final tidy before Christmas, clearing the beds of old leaves and spreading a thick layer of (our very own!) compost onto the beds to suppress weeds and improve the soil.
This hard work was followed by some well deserved mulled wine and mince pies.
From all of us at Starbank, we wish our Friends, volunteers, followers, and all those that enjoy the park, a very Merry Christmas.
Come and join us for our Christmas Gathering on 30th November, 10am-12pm.
Events taking place include wreath making (fully booked), live music, coffee, hot chocolate, mince pies, a Christmas table, Starbank calendars and cards, honey and glass painting. Members from the Edinburgh Brass Band will be playing at 11am-12pm.
Look forward to welcoming you all then!
In spring earlier this year, new composting bins were added to the back of the park, and after eight months of hard work, the compost is proving a success!
The bins are grouped in threes. The first bin contains layers of chopped up green waste (grass cuttings are very good for this), which is followed by a layer of wood chip or cardboard and then watered. The layering continues in this way. This bin is ‘turned’ every few months. This speeds up the composting process, allowing air and moisture into the compost.
Turning bin one into bin two:
After a couple of months, bin two is turned into bin three, which is where the compost becomes usable.
Good quality compost from bin three that we can use in the park:
A thanks to all the gardeners who are sorting and chopping the green waste and turning the bins.
We also have an area just for our leaf waste, seen here with gardeners boldly stamping it down to make way for more autumnal leaves!
Our beautiful calendar is out now! Only £7.50 each. Available from the park on Wednesdays & Saturdays 10am-11.30am, and Sundays 10.30am-11.30am. Makes a super Christmas present!
Come and take part in the pumpkin trail at Starbank Park. All welcome, 26th-31st October.
We have not one but TWO events at the end of September! Please do join us for:
A Macmillon coffee morning on Saturday 27 September 10am-12pm
And our Doors Open Day on Sunday 28 September 12pm – 4pm
Doors Open Days is Scotland’s largest free festival that celebrates places and stories, new and old. Activities at Starbank will include:
No booking required. For further information please visit: https://www.doorsopendays.org.uk/regions/edinburgh/starbank-park-friends-of-starbank-park
Have you spotted the new planter in the Park yet? We’ve created a silver themed planter to recognise 25 years of Keep Scotland Beautiful!
The garden and flowers are looking lovely in the summer sunshine, so we thought we’d share some recent photographs with you all. Do pop along to see the summer blooms if you have a chance!
Friends of Starbank Park 