The volunteers have been very busy lately in the garden with Spring finally emerging – at a recent Saturday session, a large laurel hedge was cut back and all the hydrangeas pruned.
The flowers and garden were also looking lovely in the sunshine.
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.
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!
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!
A big thank you to everyone who came and supported the Cherry Blossom Picnic last Sunday, and to Edinburgh Brass Band for providing wonderful music. The event was extremely successful, helped by the good weather! An incredible £2,020 was raised, which will go a long way towards enabling the Friends to continue their measures to enhance and develop the Park.
Volunteers arrived at the park yesterday to check for damage after Storm Éowyn. Thankfully all trees were still standing, with only a few small branches and twigs scattered across the grass.
Happily, the first flowers of the year have started to appear, so look out for snowdrops and crocuses on your next visit!
The Christmas wreath making weekend held on the 1st December was a success with a great turnout and Edinburgh Brass Band providing a very festive soundtrack. We’ve shared some photos of the event below, and wish all our Friends, volunteers, followers, and all those that enjoy the park, a very Merry Christmas.
A cause for celebration! Friends of Starbank Park wins It’s Your Neighbourhood award 2024.
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!
Friends of Starbank Park 