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Saturday, 04-Apr-2020 09:57:59 BST
The Wick Country Park (WCP)
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
The Friends of the Wick Country Park (FoWCP)
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Wick Weeders and the Pavilion Gardens
Wednesday, 25-Mar-2020 11:02:22 GMT
Volunteering at The Wick Country Park Tuesday, 17-Dec-2019 14:19:09 GMT
Events Calendar
Tuesday, 25-Feb-2020 09:53:45 GMT
Past Events: Reports and Photos
Sunday, 23-Feb-2020 10:41:23 GMT
Facilities at the Park
Wednesday, 25-Mar-2020 11:13:24 GMT
Directions to the WCP
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Why not Join Us?
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Nature Notes
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
The Visitors' Log
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
Useful Links
Wednesday, 19-Feb-2020 09:05:01 GMT
Contact Us
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:39 GMT
On-Line Archive
Wednesday, 04-Mar-2020 14:17:33 GMT
Tour with The Ranger.
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
History & Development of WCP
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:37 GMT
Find us on Facebook
See an on-line Gallery provided by Martin Singleton
Watch the Aerial Video (provided by Keith Savill) [3 mins, 5 secs]
Watch (and listen to) the second Aerial Video (provided by Keith Savill) [3 mins, 20 secs] February 2016
Home Page
Saturday, 04-Apr-2020 09:57:59 BST
The Wick Country Park (WCP)
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
The Friends of the Wick Country Park (FoWCP)
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Wick Weeders and the Pavilion Gardens
Wednesday, 25-Mar-2020 11:02:22 GMT
Volunteering at The Wick Country Park Tuesday, 17-Dec-2019 14:19:09 GMT
Events Calendar
Tuesday, 25-Feb-2020 09:53:45 GMT
Past Events: Reports and Photos
Sunday, 23-Feb-2020 10:41:23 GMT
Facilities at the Park
Wednesday, 25-Mar-2020 11:13:24 GMT
Directions to the WCP
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Why not Join Us?
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
Nature Notes
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:38 GMT
The Visitors' Log
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
Useful Links
Wednesday, 19-Feb-2020 09:05:01 GMT
Contact Us
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:39 GMT
On-Line Archive
Wednesday, 04-Mar-2020 14:17:33 GMT
Tour with The Ranger.
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:51:00 GMT
History & Development of WCP
Tuesday, 31-Dec-2019 16:29:37 GMT
Find us on FacebookSee an on-line Gallery provided by Martin Singleton
Watch the Aerial Video (provided by Keith Savill) [3 mins, 5 secs]
Watch (and listen to) the second Aerial Video (provided by Keith Savill) [3 mins, 20 secs] February 2016
This page was updated on Saturday, 04-Apr-2020 09:57:59 BST
Courtesy of the links to the left, you can read all about the Park, the 'Friends' group, and find details of the events organised by the 'Friends' in collaboration with the Park Ranger. Through the 'Wick Country Park' link you will find directions and a map of the Park, and you can find notes about the history and development of the Park, the management of the Park, the children's play area, the park's plants and animals, fishing in the lake, and much, much more. Other links will take you to details about the events we organise - most of which are absolutely free - plus details about our volunteer group - The Friends of the Wick Country Park. If there is something specific you are interested in, but cannot find, please use the 'search this site' link at the top of the list of Links.
"I would like to air my concern after taking my dog for a walk today.
Whilst on the walk we came across at least four piles of square cut pieces of bread. This is easily accessible for dogs to get at. I checked the pieces as this is the sort of thing people do to hide poison or dangerous foreign objects.
Fortunately I couldn't find anything but people should not be dumping food around the park like this.
Maybe a notice should be put up around the walk warning people not to deposit bread or any other food type."
This matter has been drawn to the attention of the Parks and Countryside Services Department of Basildon Borough Council. We thank the correspondent for alerting us to this issue, which we agree is of concern. It is difficult to tell whether it was dumped there by someone with malicious intent, or perhaps by someone who over-stocked on bread during the supermarket panic-buying sprees, and as a result found themselves with a lot of stale bread to dispose of and thought they would be 'helpful' by leaving it in the Park for the wildlife to enjoy. Either way it is not acceptable behaviour.
The Wick Country Park remains open to visitors - but under the new national instructions announced on March 23rd 2020, only for the purpose of daily exercise - specifically running, jogging, and walking (including dog walking). Do take heed of government advice to 'socially distance' yourself from other users - keep at least 2 metres apart - and please understand that other Park users are not being rude if they appear to be avoiding you: they are simply abiding by the rules! In particular, the rules no longer permit gatherings of more than two people, except for close family groups living under the same roof.
We do now face our first casualties of the Coronavirus pandemic:
If you would like your own printed copy of the programme, then please click here for our full 2020 guide to the Park and our events. Please be aware that the booklet includes some provisional dates; it will be re-issued when all the dates have been finalised.
The teasel is a tall plant and is identified by a cone-like flower head with flowers that are tiny and purple, and then the seed heads turn brown in winter. Teasels are visited by bees when in flower and by birds when in seed. Importantly, the plants also provide essential cover for ground-nesting birds, such as skylarks. The Skylark plot will be prepared in January 2020, and a suitable date for sowing in March 2020 will be decided nearer that time, when we will start the process.
We will keep you informed of progress!
Afterwards, we all enjoyed the mince pies and hot mulled wine or fruit punch back in the Pavilion. The refreshments were followed by the AGM, a full report on which will appear in the February 2020 edition of Skylarks. To see the Chair's report to the AGM, please click here
From time-to-time there is an organised 'litter blitz', as a result of which bags and bags of rubbish are often collected. One local resident, out of the kindness of her heart, often fills a bag in her own time. Earlier in 2019, the Wickford Wombles had a cleaning session. But none of these very generouas donations of time would be necessary if that tiny minority of thoughtless visitors could learn to be more caring about the Park! We would like to thank those individuals who generously give their time to clear up after others, often selflessly braving adverse weather. The net effect is a beautiful and relaxing environment that can be enjoyed by all visitors - humans, other mammals, birds, insects, etc.
These pictures show the 'proceeds' of a major blitz held in February 2018: bottles in the lake, rubbish thrown in the bushes - and even a discarded fishing reel!
Here are our youngest - and also less young - helpers with some of the bags of collected rubbish.
The Friends of The Wick Country Park
Introduction
Welcome to the Home Page of our Website!Courtesy of the links to the left, you can read all about the Park, the 'Friends' group, and find details of the events organised by the 'Friends' in collaboration with the Park Ranger. Through the 'Wick Country Park' link you will find directions and a map of the Park, and you can find notes about the history and development of the Park, the management of the Park, the children's play area, the park's plants and animals, fishing in the lake, and much, much more. Other links will take you to details about the events we organise - most of which are absolutely free - plus details about our volunteer group - The Friends of the Wick Country Park. If there is something specific you are interested in, but cannot find, please use the 'search this site' link at the top of the list of Links.
WASTE FOOD DEPOSITED AT THE PARK
A Park user has written to us thus:"I would like to air my concern after taking my dog for a walk today.
Whilst on the walk we came across at least four piles of square cut pieces of bread. This is easily accessible for dogs to get at. I checked the pieces as this is the sort of thing people do to hide poison or dangerous foreign objects.
Fortunately I couldn't find anything but people should not be dumping food around the park like this.
Maybe a notice should be put up around the walk warning people not to deposit bread or any other food type."
This matter has been drawn to the attention of the Parks and Countryside Services Department of Basildon Borough Council. We thank the correspondent for alerting us to this issue, which we agree is of concern. It is difficult to tell whether it was dumped there by someone with malicious intent, or perhaps by someone who over-stocked on bread during the supermarket panic-buying sprees, and as a result found themselves with a lot of stale bread to dispose of and thought they would be 'helpful' by leaving it in the Park for the wildlife to enjoy. Either way it is not acceptable behaviour.
CORONAVIRUS
Before visiting the Wick Country Park, please check the latest Borough-wide advice promulagated by Basildon Council, which you can find here.The Wick Country Park remains open to visitors - but under the new national instructions announced on March 23rd 2020, only for the purpose of daily exercise - specifically running, jogging, and walking (including dog walking). Do take heed of government advice to 'socially distance' yourself from other users - keep at least 2 metres apart - and please understand that other Park users are not being rude if they appear to be avoiding you: they are simply abiding by the rules! In particular, the rules no longer permit gatherings of more than two people, except for close family groups living under the same roof.
We do now face our first casualties of the Coronavirus pandemic:
- the Skylarks 3K Race around the park scheduled for April 15th has been cancelled. At present, it is still hoped to proceed with the July event.
- the Birdsong Walk scheduled for April 26th has also been cancelled. Please see what would have been happening.
- Though there remains a lot to do, the Wick Weeders Sessions cannot be construed as a legitimate reason to leave home under the government's Coronavirus Rules that were announced on March 23rd 2020, and therefore all Wick Weeders Sessions are cancelled until further notice. Here , you can find past photos of what the Garden should look like throughout the year.
- Fishing cannot be construed as a legitimate reason to leave home under the government's Coronavirus Rules that were announced on March 23rd 2020. The Park is therefore no longer available for fishing until further notice.
- The Children's Playground near to the entrance of the Park is now closed under the government's Coronavirus Rules that were announced on March 23rd 2020.
- Please note that cycling is not allowed within the Park even in normal times under the Council's by-laws. What is allowed - encouraged - to do is to cycle to the Park and make use of the Cycle Racks so that you can enjoy your daily exercise walk / jog / run in the Park's beautiful setting.
Register to receive our Quarterly Newsletter
Some great news!!!! There will be no charge to register your email address with the membership secretary, so that you can be kept up-to-date about events and other developments at the Park, through our quarterly newsletter, and the occasional e-mail. . Please see our membership page for more details.Basildon Borough Council Parks and Countryside Services
The Wick Country Park Park is owned by Basildon Borough Council and is managed by the Parks and Countryside Services Department. To report an issue concerning mis-use of the Park, or to enquire about hiring facilities at the Park, please contact the Countryside Officer on 01268 533333 (option 5). Please note: the Friends group has no authority over the usage of the Park and therefore we cannot deal directly with any such requests'Hot' News......
Programme of Events, 2020
The provisional Programme for 2020 is now available - click on the 'Events' Link to the left. Note that some of the later dates are provisional, but they will be finalised as soon as we can.If you would like your own printed copy of the programme, then please click here for our full 2020 guide to the Park and our events. Please be aware that the booklet includes some provisional dates; it will be re-issued when all the dates have been finalised.
Wick Weeders sessions re-start
The Wick Weeders season for 2020 is to restart on Monday March 16th. The garden does not take care of itself, and if you can afford a few hours once or twice a month, then please come along. All tools are provided, though you may want to bring your own gardening gloves.New regular Monthly Event at the WCP: Wick Country Park Wednesday Wildlife Walk
Once a month, on a Wednesday morning, Martin Singleton, from the Wickford Wildlife Society, will be facilitating a leisurely walk around the Park looking out for birds and other wildlife. The first such walk was held on February 19th 2020, and a report can be found here. For more Information about the Wickford Wildlife Society, please visit the WWS website. The next walk will be on Wednesday 18th March.The Skylark Regeneration Project
There are many references to skylarks on this website - for a start, our logo is based on this irresistible and intriguing bird, and it is also provides the title of our quarterly newsletter. Back in the early days of the Wick Country Park, Skylarks were common flying here in the sky but now they have sadly gone. Our next project is the regeneration of an area in the Park to encourage the Skylarks back. Mark, the Countryside Ranger has suggested the use of teasel seed for this purpose, so we have purchased enough Teasel seed to cover a substantial area within the Park.The teasel is a tall plant and is identified by a cone-like flower head with flowers that are tiny and purple, and then the seed heads turn brown in winter. Teasels are visited by bees when in flower and by birds when in seed. Importantly, the plants also provide essential cover for ground-nesting birds, such as skylarks. The Skylark plot will be prepared in January 2020, and a suitable date for sowing in March 2020 will be decided nearer that time, when we will start the process.
We will keep you informed of progress!
January Jaunt & AGM, January 19th 2020
More than 30 people joined the Park Ranger, Mark, for our annual 'Jaunt' on January 19th 2020 on a beautiful sunny, calm Winter's Day. Amongst the participants were several children - and an extremely well-behaved dog on a lead. Members of the Wickford Wombles also joined us, and cleared litter on the way round! Please click here for a fuller gallery and report. (Updated on Thursday, 20-Feb-2020 16:47:14 GMT .)Afterwards, we all enjoyed the mince pies and hot mulled wine or fruit punch back in the Pavilion. The refreshments were followed by the AGM, a full report on which will appear in the February 2020 edition of Skylarks. To see the Chair's report to the AGM, please click here
New page - Volunteering
Please visit this new page to read about ways in which you can become involved with the Friends groupPast Events
Please click on the picture links below, which will take you to reports and pictures from the various events listed.
On-line support while you visit the Park
If you have a smart-phone when you visit the Park, you can now carry a map with you - please click or tap here to see the map and the accompanying notes.General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) - May 25th 2018
The new GDPR regulations, effective from May 25th 2018, require us to make a 'Data Policy' statement available to all of our members. Please click here to access the policy. Please see the 'Why not Join us?' link to the left for details about membership.Litter at the Park
Most visitors to the Park do as we all would hope they would do - take any rubbish or recycling generated while visiting the Park back home with them and to dispose of properly. It is a tiny minority of extremely thoughtless and lazy individuals who spoil the Park for everyone else.From time-to-time there is an organised 'litter blitz', as a result of which bags and bags of rubbish are often collected. One local resident, out of the kindness of her heart, often fills a bag in her own time. Earlier in 2019, the Wickford Wombles had a cleaning session. But none of these very generouas donations of time would be necessary if that tiny minority of thoughtless visitors could learn to be more caring about the Park! We would like to thank those individuals who generously give their time to clear up after others, often selflessly braving adverse weather. The net effect is a beautiful and relaxing environment that can be enjoyed by all visitors - humans, other mammals, birds, insects, etc.
These pictures show the 'proceeds' of a major blitz held in February 2018: bottles in the lake, rubbish thrown in the bushes - and even a discarded fishing reel!
Here are our youngest - and also less young - helpers with some of the bags of collected rubbish.