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Report transcript in: Jean talks to Olive about Longford Park
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Jean talks to Olive about Longford Park
Please Report the Errrors?
right.
Thanks.
Thanks for coming and having a chat with me today.
Um,
So how long have you been visiting Long Park? Or I would say, a long, long time?
At least 40 years.
So what sort of thing did you go to the park for
the park? For taking the Children on the
and, you know, walking around, You know it.
Sure gather exercise and things like that, you
know,
and to look at all the
look, the truth
and
plants Explain about things. You know, gardening wise.
They used to love gardening,
So, yeah. Did you ever visit the hall? Um, only once. Funnily enough,
it was It's very strange. That
isn't
a
function there.
Did
you
Did you
ever
go
there?
No,
I
We did have dancing at the function I went to because it was a wedding.
Oh, right.
And have you got any memories of what it was like? Oh, beautiful.
Really, really nice. Yeah, it's very, very nice. Yeah.
Sorry. Didn't visit it
more.
You know, the vacation didn't arise. Really? Yeah.
And did you ever go in all of the greenhouses? You know, that used to
used to see the greenhouses and explain to
the Children about the flowers and things.
You
know,
Take my
friend
Children as well with me.
You know,
many times when we've been to the bath, we used to come
and have a little walk around afterwards. You know
you have
a picnic.
Well,
yes,
we
have
lot
of
wooded area.
That's nice.
Your Children like
that
used to call it Strawberry Gardens for some reason or other. I don't know why.
And do you remember when we had the water
running through
it?
But
at
the time when your Children were little there was there
a park keeper who sort of came and said,
Don't go on the grass
was a park,
But we never sort of got involved with anything.
We we talk to him, obviously say hello, but he never wanted to tell us.
I'm sure
the
person gets to
you.
So
in the more recent years, you've started to come to the park again.
I've been bowling.
And then, of course, I came with my grandchildren, you know,
up to about, like,
10, 12 years ago.
You
know
they love the playground here.
Yeah, they did. And they like to walk around. I love to go to the wooded area at
the back.
I really enjoyed that. Trying to escape from me, I think for a bit, you know,
you know, so you can't find me.
There's lots of places to
hang
out.
And do you have a favourite area of the park? I
like them.
I
think it's really nice that and of course, the bowling green, of course, of the bone.
And
these are bowling greens are lovely because they've got lovely surroundings. They
have,
You know, the trees are
beautiful.
The only thing I'm concerned about is the flooding
that occurs just outside the bowling green area.
Um that nothing used to happen.
So
I don't know.
We know what's on.
Whether we're having more rainfall or
or it's the ground is not,
you know, taking it, taking it up like it used to do soaking it up. I don't know you.
Yeah. So, um,
is that the main problem area or do you know, are there any other issues?
The other issue is the car park at right bank road.
Absolutely terrible, and we're driving in there,
and there's potholes that live very deep
and when they're filled with water you know, you
sort of how deep they are when you're driving.
Um, and it's it's a concern for me walking
stick, but it's a concern for me walking to get into the park because of the, um,
you know, it's very badly deterioration.
I'm surprised a lot, really.
And, um, do you feel that's a barrier for people coming to visit the park?
I think it does.
I mean, I know it's always busy, you know, whenever we came during the lockdown,
we came every day for a walk for 20 minutes, half an hour,
and, um sometimes I couldn't get in the car park.
So we leave our car outside on right bank road and just walk through then.
But I did find it concerning over an older person like myself walking.
So you just mentioned the lockdown. Did you use the park a lot more than every
day,
every
day.
I mean, when it was obviously when it was really bad weather, no,
But every day we tried to go for a walk, at least for half an hour.
You
have
it
on the doorstep to do that
and
look at the pets corner as well.
I
think That's lovely. You know, I think that's really nice. Good.
And if you enjoyed the flowers, the
flowers have been beautiful. Yeah, they are good. Really nice. Yeah.
And now, of course, when we branched out, um,
three of us went for a walk and we branched out to different parts of the park,
which we've not seen before.
You know, like the pond. And
it's
lovely,
you know, really
nice. So I was very impressed with that.
And so,
from the path
and the flooding,
if there was money available
to improve the park, have you got any ideas apart from those two?
Any other suggestions that you'd like to make?
No. Really. I mean, because I think we try and advertise it as much as we can.
I mean, I do that with my family. They come anyway. So I mean, you know, it's
they wouldn't sort of, you know,
said there was any improvement needed. Really,
They enjoy the trees. They think that would be lovely, you know?
And all the flowers in the garden,
they liked it. And also the musicians that we get every swap
which you just sort of strike off with. It It's so nice to listen to them,
you know,
as a
play.
That's
right
as well. Which was nice, you
know?
I mean,
that's just sort of something, you know, different or something.
Do you Do you use the cafe?
Uh, I've only been in three times. Yeah, just three times for a coffee. You see,
um, and a cake with the kids, you
know,
ice cream as well.
So you use the toilets in the cafe? Yeah.
Yeah, everything
Very well.
And
you use another area of the park as well, but
it's an indoor area,
so you you use the far end as well, don't you? You know, I suppose
although it's an indoor
activity that you do on a Friday night, it's still within the park, isn't it?
So, what do you What do you do on a Friday night?
Do you want to explain what you do on a Friday
in the evening? Yeah,
um, we go to the Longford, um, community choir.
And I got to know about this through the building, through Jean.
You know, um and she gave me a leaflet,
and after I've had two bereavements, I just felt I needed to
get out and do something,
you know, different. And I've always, um,
done singing from a young young age.
But I've not done it in latter years because of my husband's ill health. Really?
So to get back to that, that was just a bonus. That was just wonderful.
I really love that. That
gives me a great lift.
Super
very
good. So you use
you
use
behind the library,
You know, the community,
um,
that you
could do with a bit
of
a
bit of lighting.
Um, when we're coming out of choir, uh, to get to your car,
even though it's only a very short distance from the, um, place.
It's,
uh
it's difficult to have to take a torch now
to steam away, you know, And
you know, when you you're in the dark and you're older and you've got a walking stick.
Very difficult. So a light, you know, light would be absolutely wonderful.
Yeah,
they have done a few of the potholes going into it,
but they've not done the one further on. You know,
it is a rather rough terrain.
Is there anything else you'd like to say about the park?
No, I just think that it's kept wonderfully well.
And the, you know, all the volunteers are absolutely amazing,
and they very devoted. I mean, they're wonderful.
You know, if I was more able, I would, um, come and help more, you know?
But I'm very limited in in in the things I can do now
because of the
arthritis.
Yes, but you have, um, as a member of the
you fund raise,
haven't
you?
You know, you doing
what you
can
come
with
that.
Thank
you
for talking to
me.
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