FoMMP is the Marple Branch's nominated charity for 2020
Each year Vernon supports a number of local charities and organisations through their Community Awards project, but they also support additional groups through dress-down days, coffee mornings and creative fundraisers. This year they have decided that each of their local branches will select a nominated charity to support throughout 2020.
In March, branch Manager Jo Torkington wrote to say her team were proud to announce that Friends of Marple Memorial Park had been selected as the Marple Branch charity for 2020. This means that throughout the year, the majority of their fundraising efforts will be donated to our community group. The Branch, which has previously supported our Family Treasure Hunts as one of the regular banner sponsors, selected our group because they believe we provide a necessary service to the local community and they wish to support this.
Unfortunately, as we all know, 2020 was not a great year and everyone has been restricted in what they can do. We hope, as the nation eventually comes out of lock-down and things return to normal, that the Vernon will be able to support us in the way they intended in 2020. We look forward to working more closely with them when restrictions permit us to do more!
May 2021: Skatepark resurfacing finally completed
We're pleased to report that the disintegrating rubber mulch next to the poppy feature at the skatepark has at last been replaced by tarmac - thanks to Stockport Council and the Vernon Building Society, who donated £500 towards this via Friends of Marple Memorial Park in December last year. We were originally expecting to contribute some of our own funds towards this too but the council decided that they were able to cover the remaining costs of £700, so we can spend our £500 on other projects in the park instead.
December 2020: Vernon Building Society donate £500 towards Marple Skatepark resurfacing!
As reported earlier in the year, the Marple Branch of the Vernon Building Society nominated Friends of Marple Memorial Park as their chosen charity for 2020. As everyone knows, it's been a most unusual year and nothing has really gone as planned. The Marple Branch staff have been unable to hold coffee mornings or any other fund-raising activities and the Friends of the Park have been unable to hold any events, like the Treasure Hunt, that the society could support.
We did manage to put a display of hand-made card in the branch and a couple of collection boxes when it reopened in June and we've please to report that these have raised almost £34 for the park, even though they were only open for two days a week.
Even better news this week is that the Vernon recently asked us if we have any immediate plans that they could support. We still don't know when we will next be able to hold an event but we did mention that a small sub-project we'd like to tackle is the tarmacking of the green rubber mulched area near to the Poppy feature at the skatepark. The rubber mulch finish seemed like a good idea during the phase I construction but was not successful and has suffered badly from wear and tear and some misuse too.
We had recently obtained a price from the council of £1,200 for redoing this with tarmac using one of their contractors and explained this to the Vernon. We are delighted that they have agreed to contribute £500 toward this and we've received the money this week. The balance of funds needed will be made up with £500 from Friends of Memorial Park's funds and a £200 contribution from the council.
The council have agreed to make arrangements in the New year for this work to be done and we are hopeful that it could be completed by around Easter time (Covid permitting of course).
Thank you to the Marple Branch of the Vernon for their great support of Friends of the Park in these difficult times.
June 2020: Hand-made cards for sale in the Marple Branch
The Marple branch of the Vernon is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the moment but we've already dropped off two of our charity collection boxes. We have also agreed that the branch will sell our handmade cards and this weekend, while it's been raining, we've prepared a display that we will take in next time the office is open.
