Brickfields Country Park - Dates for 2020

"Come along and see us"

FBCP welcome involvement from the public as occasional volunteers or members. Work parties are usually held in the park on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month (except January) from 1:30pm onwards (12:30 in the winter, see below), but do check with the task date calendar below first as some work dates do change. We meet in the centre of the park at our storage container. No special skills are needed, just some strong footwear! and a willingness to contribute to your environment. The work covers many topics from pond clearance to path building and more, we are insured for public liability, tools and refreshments are provided and safety is covered before starting. For details E-mail

Task & Event dates scheduled for 2020 are -
(Dates subject to change as event notifications or cancellations are received)

Work Dates - 2020

With the Daylight Savings Time change, winter task periods start at 12:30pm, reverting to the normal start time of 1:30pm for the summer.
Tuesday 14th January - Members general meeting 8:00pm, for details E-mail
January	5th, 19th	February	2nd, 23rd	March	1st, 15th, 29th
Our 2020 AGM has been cancelled until further notice due to the Corona virus pandemic, for details E-mail Any further changes to our diary in response to the Covid-19 outbreak will be updated here as required.
April	5th, 19th	May	3rd, 17th	June	7th, 21st
Sunday 5th July	Brickfields Park Funday - see main listing below
July (tba) - Members General Meeting 8:00pm, for details E-mail
July	5th, 19th	August	2nd, 16th	September	6th, 20th
October (tba) - Members General Meeting 8:00pm, for details E-mail
October	4th, 18th	November	1st, 15th	December	6th, 20th

Event Dates - 2020

Further events in 2020 to be advised.

Regular work dates | Event datestop

Funday 2107 Sunday 5th July, Brickfields Country Park - Fun Day. - 11am to 4pm, (location map for GU11 3QJ) With farm animals, wildlife rescues, stalls and displays from local environmental and wildlife groups, hot and cold refreshments, games, quizzes, cuddly toy tombola, cake stall and our own brand "Brickfields Park" jams, a very popular item. Coffee and Tea from our refreshments are all "Fair Trade" products. The mobile farm display is still a very popular attraction drawing young and old to the interactive display of Ducks, Goats, Geese, Rabbits, Chickens, Pigs and many other farmyard animals.

This year will be the 35th year since the opening of Brickfields Country Park by Colin Balchin the Mayor in 1985, and the 28th for The Brickfields Friends group. New exhibitor stalls, games and competitions will be run again this year.

Exhibitor space is now open for booking at this years event, email for details, early booking is recommended. Wildlife groups and organisations are especially welcome to participate in our Funday for the local community in one of the UK's least known urban wildlife parks, one of Aldershot's gems.

Participants already booked for this years event are -

The Friends of Brickfields Country Park - with our information stand about wildlife in the park, hot and cold refreshments, cake stall and our own brand "Brickfields Park" jams, all made from fruit picked in Brickfields Park. The park is used on a regular basis by local schools for nature studies and is open every day of the year, so please help us to keep the park tidy
website

Berkshire Birds of Prey - Meet live birds of prey up close and personal. Learn about their habits and habitats, falconry history and equipment. Static and/or flying displays with up to 10 birds including owls, falcons and hawks, we can fly birds in halls, arenas or outside spaces but do remember they may leave the odd calling card or two! (we provide the clean up!). Events, workshops & Experiences. If you have an event or gathering that you would like to bring a unique, hands on experience too, we’d love to bring our Birds along. They're friendly, enjoy interaction and are used to being with and around humans.
website

Wey Valley Cats Protection - Run by a small team of dedicated, unpaid volunteers who work hard in their spare time to care for and find homes for unwanted cats and kittens throughout the West Surrey and North-East Hampshire area rescuing and re-homing unwanted and abandoned cats, especially in Farnham, Alton, Bordon and Aldershot. It is our policy to never put a healthy cat to sleep and we believe that there is a new, loving home somewhere for each and every cat in our care.
Brickfields games - a re-working this year of our games stall with more items, our old favourite Splat the Rat, test your skill, cuddly and soft toy tombola and more.
website

Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership - with their information stand about wildlife in the local area, a live display of bugs and beasts and mini-beast hunts around the park. Lots of fun with the children carefully holding the beasties and then watching transfixed as they fly off. The Blackwater Valley is located on the borders of Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire and runs for approximately 30km from the source near Aldershot, northwards to Swallowfield. Work in the Blackwater Valley is coordinated by the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership on behalf of the local authorities that border the Valley.
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Rushmoor Council Biodiversity and nature conservation - with their information stand about wildlife and biodiversity in the local area.
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and blog

Fleet Beekeepers Association - have members in Aldershot, Ash Vale, Farnborough, Fleet, Church Crookham, Crookham, Dogmersfield, Hartley Wintney, Hook, Odiham and surrounding North Hampshire areas. They will be displaying an enclosed frame of bees, empty hives and beekeeping equipment, along with a number of experienced beekeepers to chat about beekeeping and associated items. Beekeeping is a fascinating and challenging hobby that is very rewarding in many ways. Whilst it’s great to be able to eventually harvest your own honey, you also get a great sense of satisfaction being connected directly to the natural world whilst knowing that your hobby is having a beneficial effect on the environment around you. One of the Brickfields volunteers is a beekeeper !
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Guildford Fuchsia Society - Anyone interested in gardening, and particularly our favourite plant, the fuchsia, is welcome to join us, either as a visitor for the evening, or by becoming a member. We are a small but friendly group who meet on the 4th Tuesday of each month
Blackwater Valley Friends of the Earth - displays of their efforts in the local environment and some children's games. website
RSPB North East Hants Local Group - offers a warm welcome to all in the Surrey/Hampshire border area who are interested in birds and nature at home and abroad.
website

Cove Brook Greenway Group - another local group run by and for local residents to enhance the Cove Brook and its environs and increase local awareness. The Cove Brook Greenway stretches all the way from Farnborough Airfield to Hawley Lane, and they celebrated its 20th Anniversary last year. The group works with others to look after Cove Brook for the benefit of local people and wildlife. It undertakes regular Working Parties and produces an informative Newsletter four times per year.

Our 2019 sponsors were -

Brandon Tool Hire, Aldershot (website) - electrical facilities.
Rushmoor Borough Council (website) - leaflets, publicity and toilets.

We must again thank our sponsors for their continued help, as without the help of our local businesses and organisations we would at times be unable to do some of our work in the park and to stage events like the Fun Day. Our grateful thanks go to them.