Activities, events and volunteering opportunities at Boston Manor Park
Summer 2024 Events (June, July, August)
in Boston Manor Park
Please note more events may be added and to receive an updated monthly newsletter please join our mailing list by emailing bostonmanorpark@hounslow.gov.uk
Busy Boston Manor Park!
This will be the second Summer we are fully re-opened after the work to upgrade our beautiful park. We have a jam-packed offer of activities and look forward to seeing you here over the summer months.
Major Summer events in the park
Our 2nd Nature Festival, Saturday, 1 June, 12-4pm: you can expect Bedfont Lakes petting zoo, sustainable/nature-themed arts and crafts, conservation groups, community art project unveiling, free activities, storytelling (local author Lucy Noguera) and music (local Me-Time Pop Choir).
Colourscape and Assemble Play: see Boston Manor House section for two wonderful children’s events.
Junction 2 Music Festival, 26-28 July: as the music festival builds the infrastructure needed for the festival from mid-July onwards, park users will not be able to access all areas. The festival organisers will put up signage to indicate where is accessible. The café, play areas, walled garden, sports equipment and House will remain open throughout.
June
Monthly Bird Walk and Survey, Saturday, 1 June, 08.30-10am: meet on the lake platform. Take a leisurely walk around the park to record numbers and species of birds in the park. No experience necessary but bring binoculars if you have them. Free.
Our 2nd Nature Festival, Saturday, 1 June, 12-4pm: you can expect Bedfont Lakes petting zoo, sustainable/nature-themed arts and crafts, conservation groups, community art project unveiling, free activities, storytelling (local author Lucy Noguera) and music (local Me-Time Pop Choir). Don’t miss it!
Fitness Fun with Jenny, every Tuesday 11-11.45am: low impact outdoors exercise class for adults of all ages and fitness levels. The class is generally in the walled garden, with an indoor option available if necessary. Meet outside Hub. £3 per participant in cash.
Pilates with Michelle Kyles, Wednesday 5, 12, 19, and 26 June, 11am: outdoors mostly, bring a mat. Meet outside walled garden. £6 per person per class. Booking via Eventbrite.
Veteran and Notable trees of Boston Manor Park, Thursday 6 June, 6.30pm, at Boston Manor House. Talk by Park Manager, Vanessa Hampton. Booking via Eventbrite.
Dr Bike drop-in Friday, 14 June, 12-2pm: head towards the playground to ask Dr Bike for some free help with your adult’s and/or child’s bike. FREE.
Dog Walkers BMP club, Wednesday, 26 June, 7-8pm, at the Hub (free): we are keen to connect dog walkers in BMP, so please come along to meet each other and hear from two eminent speakers (with doggy treats provided by The Potting Shed café!). We are hoping to create a BMP dog walking community group that can help each other and look after our beautiful park in the long term:
- Dr Peter Higgins, dog owner, Veterinary Surgeon, official veterinarian for DEFRA, and Fellow of ZSL
- Elliot Newton, co-founder of Citizen Zoo, Biodiversity Officer for the Royal Borough of Kingston, and part of the leadership team for the Ealing Beaver Project
Table tennis and boules play day, Saturday, 29 June, 10-3pm: come and play- instruction and equipment all provided free of charge on this family fun day- all ages and abilities welcome, from 5 to 95! Head to lawn by table tennis table, bring a picnic and come and play! Free.
July
Monthly Bird Walk and Survey, Saturday, 6 July, 08.30-10am: meet on the lake platform. Take a leisurely walk around the park to record numbers and species of birds in the park. No experience necessary but bring binoculars if you have them. FREE.
Fitness Fun with Jenny, every Tuesday, 11-11.45am: low impact outdoors exercise class for adults of all ages and fitness levels. The class is generally in the walled garden, with an indoor option available if necessary. Meet outside Hub. £3 per participant in cash.
Meadow Sweep for hedgehogs, Monday, 15 July, 9.30-11.30am: prior to the meadow cut before Junction 2 music festival, please come and help us remove/gently disturb any hedgehogs nesting in long grass in the meadow. Meet at Hub or join us in meadow.
Tour of walled garden, Tuesday, 16 July, 2-2.45pm: Park Manager Vanessa Hampton will talk about the history and planting in the walled garden, how it is currently managed and what is growing in it. Free.
August
Monthly Bird Walk and Survey, Saturday, 10 August, 08.30-10am: meet on the lake platform. Take a leisurely walk around the park to record numbers and species of birds in the park. No experience necessary but bring binoculars if you have them. FREE.
Fitness Fun with Jenny, EVERY Tuesday 11-11.45am (BUT NO class on 6 or 13 Aug): low impact outdoors exercise class for adults of all ages and fitness levels. The class is generally in the walled garden, with an indoor option available if necessary. Meet outside Hub. £3 per participant in cash.
Pond dipping: Monday, 5 Aug and Saturday, 10 Aug, 11-12.30pm: come and see what mini beasts live in our lake! Activity starts promptly. Meet on lake viewing platform. Free.
Brentford Community Trust football, 6-12 y/o, Tuesdays, 6 and 20 Aug, 10.30-12pm: meet on the football pitch, bring water and baseball caps. Drop in, £3 per participant in cash.
Paddleboarding with Active 360, Wednesday, 7 Aug, 10-12pm, 8yrs-18yrs: take a paddleboard out on the canal for 45 mins with Active 360 coaches, booking via Eventbrite. Numbers limited. £15 per paddler.
Sneaky Snake Stone painting, Saturday, 10 Aug, 11-12.30pm: community art project for children of all ages- they can paint individual stones which will be displayed in the park as a long snake/caterpillar! Outside Service Yard gates/workshop. Free.
Basketball holiday camp with SUPA: Tues 13 Aug, Wed 14 Aug, Thurs 15 Aug, 11-12pm, 6-12 yrs, meet by basketball courts: Mario from local basketball club SUPA will be running the club. Drop in. £3 per participant per session in cash.
Evening Bat Walk, Thursday, 15 Aug, 8.30pm: come and spot our resident bats using bat detectors after a brief introduction to bats! Meet by picnic tables by lake. Free.
Mini yoga retreat for parents and children, Tues 20 Aug, Wed 21 Aug and Thurs 22 Aug, 2-3pm: join Samm from Nature’s Earth for a different mindful hour of yoga every afternoon in the park near walled garden entrance. £3 per participant per session in cash, except adults with children go free. No advance booking needed- drop in.
Nature Night walk, Wednesday, 21 Aug, 8.15pm-9.15pm: join us for an introduction to the park’s nightlife, before going out to survey hedgehogs, bats and amphibians (toads and newts) using a night vision scope and detectors! Families welcome. Meet by Service Yard/workshop. Bring torches if you have them. Free.
And a heads up...in September!
Feral Voices singing experience workshop with Elena Harris, Sunday, 22 September, 10-2pm: exclusive and one-off opportunity to harmonise and have a mindful, sonic experience through the power of unified voices. Expect simple songs with 3 or 4 part harmonies and rounds, with a nature based theme. All songs will be taught acapella and there is no sheet music. No singing experience or skill necessary. Adults and older teenagers welcome. Booking via Eventbrite. £20 per person.
Ealing BEAT art trail, Sat 15/Sun 16 and Sat 21/ Sun 22 September, 11-6pm, workshop/service yard: come and see local art exhibited in our areas that are normally ‘off limits’!
Gardening and Conservation activities
Saturday Gardening and Conservation Session, Saturdays 18 May and 8 June 10.30-12.30pm: meet outside the Service yard/ walled garden. Join Vanessa and carry out a variety of gardening and conservation tasks around the park. Call Vanessa if you can’t find the group 07816 067883.
Weekly Gardening and Conservation Sessions, every Tuesday, 10-12.30pm: meet outside the Service yard/ walled garden. Join Vanessa and carry out a variety of gardening and conservation tasks around the park.
Weekly Walled Garden and Veg Growing sessions, every Thursday through to 29 Aug, 1-2.30pm: meet out outside the Service yard/ walled garden. A gentle-paced plant care and maintenance session, along with growing vegetables in an accessible space. Please note NO session on 20 June.
Youth Volunteering (14 yrs up), Saturdays 18 May, 8 and 29 June and 6 July, 10.30am-12.30pm, Monday 15 July 9.30-11.30am: Volunteering specifically for young people (14–18-year-olds) with regular sessions for teenagers looking to meet the D of E award 'Volunteering' requirement and all teenagers wanting to volunteer. Meet promptly by Hub. Activities include conservation, gardening and helping run family events/holiday clubs (at other times). Email Tash in advance if you are interested: bostonmanorpark@hounslow.gov.uk
Self-guided BMP Trails:
Go Orienteering Trails
an you find all the markers (‘controls’) hidden around the park? Learn how to navigate and then find and follow three different (easy, medium and hard) orienteering routes around the park. Download the free orienteering maps at https://www.goorienteering.org.uk/course/boston_manor_park
Strava Running Club
Boston Manor Park’s own running club and running routes (co-created with WE RUN EALING, community based running organisation). See https://www.strava.com/clubs/1196851 (BMP2023 is Club on Strava).
BMP Activity Trails 1 (Nature and Wellbeing) and 2 (Get to know the park!)
Pick up a free hard copy of our two trails from outside the Hub, the Potting Shed café or Boston Manor House. Download free copies in English and Polish from https://www.ealingparks.foundation/nature-trails
Secret Bird Mosaic Trail
Can you spot our 6 bird mosaics hanging in the woodland (top woodland path, starting near the lake and ending by oak tree by M4 flyover)? You will see a jay, a woodpecker, a sparrow, a robin, a starling and a chaffinch. Mosaics were made by the community and Susie John, a local artist.
BMP Audio Trail
Download the Echoes app (free download), search for the trail on the app (starts near car park) and plug into a mindful walk through the park, listening to poetry, music and the sounds of nature. You might recognise some familiar voices and will finish
feeling calm and relaxed in the walled garden. QR code in noticeboard for even quicker access.
Corporate volunteering: we’d love to host your team!
We offer bespoke opportunities for teams to spend a day (or a few hours) in the park, working on fun conservation and gardening projects. The day can also include a range of activities such as guided foraging/wildlife walks around the park. Lunch options available from our café and indoor spaces accessible to store personal items and take a break. A donation may be required towards purchasing park resources. Email us to discuss options: bostonmanorpark@hounslow.gov.uk
Park Hub
Our new café The Potting Shed thepottingshed.london is now open 7 days a week, 9-5pm. Food 9-3pm. Watch out for their events too. Earthical stock, selling refills of eco-friendly laundry and cleaning supplies now also available from the café!
Boston Manor House
Colourscape art installation with music and performances from 25th May-2nd June – tickets can be found here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/boston-manor-house.
We will be hosting Assemble Play on the lawn next to the pond from 26th August-1st September. Free, non-ticketed and for children of all ages.
Free wellbeing walks every Friday and once a month on Saturday, and don’t miss out the Costumed Interpretation tours in the house – check out the website https://bostonmanorhouse.org/ for more information or Eventbrite page for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/boston-manor-house-38413967573
Do you work in a school or know any teachers?
Please let us know and we can email you our School Workshops programme and give you information about our specific SEND school workshops/work experience programme.
Join our BMP outdoor events and volunteering mailing list: Contact us BostonManorPark@hounslow.gov.uk to receive regular updates on all our outdoor events and activities, including lots of family events in school holidays.
Follow and Like our Facebook page @BMPoutdoorevents
