Blossom Tree Planting

We were very pleased to receive an apple tree today as a gift from the National Trust Cymru Blossom Project.
 
It was planted today near to the bench donated recently by Frank Langthorne in memory of our late Chairman Barbara Morgan. It will form part of a project to create a small memorial garden in her memory.
 
Special thanks are due to our Senedd Member, Joyce Watson, who recommended the Racecourse Trust as a suitable location and recipient for the tree and also helped to plant it.
 
Our thanks to Kate, Rhian and Nia from the National Trust Cymru who organised the event and attended today.

Drainage Work

Work has started on improvements to the Racecourse drainage as shown on the attached map.
 
This should help to extend the useful playing period for both Cricket and Football.
 
Please take care in this area and keep dogs and children well away from working machinery. There is also a small possibility that the paths may be temporarily involved so please obey any warning signs put up by the contractor.
 
Access for the machinery involved will be via the Cricket Club car park so please do not obstruct the entrances at each end especially where shown as a red circle on the map.
 

New Tractor – Press Release from PCC on 12 July 2022

New wildflower meadows to be created in and around Haverfordwest

New areas of wildflower meadow are to be created and enhanced in and around Haverfordwest, thanks to the purchase of a new shared community tractor and mower.

The upper and lower Racecourse will be making the most use of the tractor for meadow management in the years to come, but it is also available for use at the Priory Saltings and Bridge Meadow.

Aethne Cooke, from the Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership (PNP) said: “Wildflower meadows are some of our rarest and most species-rich habitats. They are beautiful, pollinators love them, and they need less mowing that conventional lawns.

“This tractor will allow these areas to be mown and importantly for the grass cuttings to be removed, reducing nutrients which allows the wildflowers to better compete with the grasses.”

The tractor and mower were purchased via the Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership with Welsh Government Local Places for Nature grant funding.

 

Pictured are representatives from the PNP, Haverfordwest Town Council, Haverfordwest Racecourse Public Park Trust, Portfield Recreation Committee, the Bridge Meadow Trust and Pembrokeshire County Council, all of whom contributed towards procuring the new vehicles (sic), which were purchased from J E Lawrence & Son.

New Tractor

We are delighted to announce the arrival of the new tractor to replace its predecessor which provided a sterling service cutting the grass for over 30 years.

The tractor comes with a new attachement, a flail mower and collector, which will be especially useful for creating and enhancing the newly planted areas of wildflower meadow.

The handover involved members of the Town Council, Councillor Alan Buckfield (the Mayor of Haverfordwest), members of the Racecourse Trust and the Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership. 

Aethne Cooke from the Local Places for Nature Partnership provided the following statement to summarise the whole background to this valuable addition to our resources:

Local Places for Nature, wildflower meadow and tractor/mower

Each year, local nature partnerships across Wales receive Welsh Government Local Places for Nature grant funding. This funding is to be used for the specific purpose of creating and enhancing nature where people live and work, and where people access public services.

The Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership is delighted that it has been able to direct some of its Welsh Government Local Places for Nature grant towards purchase of this tractor and mower.

The Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership would like to thank the Haverfordwest Town Council, Haverfordwest Racecourse Public Park Trust, Portfield Recreation Committee and the Bridge Meadow Trust for working with us to make best use of this shared community tractor and mower.

The tractor and mower are to be used to create and enhance areas of wildflower meadow at the Upper & Lower Racecourse sites, and also to be made available for use at Priory Saltings and Bridge Meadow.

These green spaces are particularly important in a town setting such as Haverfordwest. We have in the last few years increased our understanding of the value of simply getting outside into nature for our physical and mental wellbeing. Creating areas of wildflower meadow in these areas will enhance this experience.

Wildflower meadows are some of our rarest and most species rich habitats. They are beautiful, pollinators love them, and they need less mowing that conventional lawns.

This tractor will allow these areas to be mown and importantly for the grass cuttings to be removed, reducing nutrients which allows the wildflowers to better compete with the grasses.

We have lost a staggering 97% of our meadows since the 1930s. These areas of meadow at both Racecourse sites, and the recently established meadow at Priory Saltings, will make an important contribution to the restoration of meadows in Pembrokeshire.

Finally, thank you to Peter Howe of PCC regeneration whose idea this was, to Gerald Rowlands of PCC Fleet Management for his invaluable help with procurement and to J E Lawrence & Son for supplying us with the tractor and mower.

 

Annual General Meeting – 2022

HAVERFORDWEST RACECOURSE

(PUBLIC PARK) TRUST

 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

WILL BE HELD ON

THURSDAY 14TH APRIL 2022

AT 7.00 PM

IN

 HAVERFORDWEST CRICKET CLUB

 

THE PARK RELIES HEAVILY ON THE  SUPPORT GIVEN BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.

PLEASE COME ALONG AND JOIN US

Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteers – Portfield School

The students from Portfield School completed their latest session by cleaning up the ‘bus shelter’ and clearing a bit more of the overgrown path. This time they brought fine weather with them to make the task easier.

We have no more sessions planned for them but we hope they will back at some time in the future.
 
The committee and, I’m sure, all regular users of the Racecourse would like to thank them for all their hard work and efforts.  Despite everything they remained cheerful and committed to the tasks.
 
We wish them well in the remaining challenges ahead of them in the quest for their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
 

Annual General Meeting 2022

The Annual General Meeting of the Haverfordwest Racecourse Public Parks Trust will be held in the Haverfordwest Cricket Club on Thursday 14th April at 19.00.  

Any users of the Haverfordwest Upper Racecourse are welcome to attend. 

The wearing of masks is encouraged.

Portfield School DofE back again

The pupils working for their volunteering component of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme were back again on 17th March.  While some of them continued the work on clearing the sides of the paths the rest got stuck in felling the dead saplings in one of the central copses.  Sadly these were all young Ash trees killed by the Hymenoscyphus fraxineus fungus, also know as Ash dieback.

This was much harder work than anticipated but the teams remained cheerful and enthusiastic despite this and the occasional Pembrokeshire downpour.

After lunch, combined with a demonstration of the Trangier stove system (to provide a hot brew) the teams swapped over to finish the day’s work.

Local and a London-based representative of the DofE scheme also visited to watch progress and provide support.

Portfield School helping the Racecourse

As part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, some pupils from Portfield School volunteered their time in the pouring rain to start on some path clearing. This involved pushing back the encroaching grass and mud and has already shown just how wide our paths actually are before nature tried to take over.

They will be working for a couple more days later this month so please give them some encouragement if you pass them.