Around the World in 20 Trees!

It was lovely to meet Finnuala at the task today - her first with Goodgym and the first of many more that she has already signed up for. Welcome! to Goodgym Portsmouth Finnuala. Today's task was a little more special than usual where, instead of gardening, we had the privilege of a guided tour around some of the 230 trees in the park, with 10 trees pre-dating when the park was built. The tour was given by Stephen Rees, a retired worker at the council of which many of those years were spent working in the park and building up his encylopaedic knowledge of all things flora. He took us on a 'world tour' of trees and their original countries of origin which was fascinating - the photos don't do them justice, but it certainly highlighted how Nature is possibly the most creative of things in beauty and diversity. He was ably accompanied by Jackie Collins, the Park's Community Engagement Officer who was able to offer her own expertise around the plans for the Park moving forward. There was a good crowd on the tour with lots of questions and Stephen or Jackie had an answer for all of them. Moving forward and with the Lottery funding at their disposal the continued work within the Park will be completed with a lot of the work unseen and underground, including new electrics, and flood defence work, the Aviary will have new flooring and drainage so that the birds and animals will have a lovely dry environment when they return. The pun today I plagiarised from the planned A3 (folded to A4) leaflet which, once refined, will be available for future tours (the next one planned for the Autumn), and to people visiting the park who are interested in exploring on their own and finding out more. In the meantime, visit the website (www.victoriaparkportsmouth.org.uk) where you can find all sorts of information about the Park, including its heritage and community. The park is a great place to visit for all sorts of reasons and the trees are perfect if you are seeking some shade in the warm weather, or just want to listen to the sounds of nature.