Latest news
BRIGHTON TREE FESTIVAL: guided walks in Queen’s Park
Posted 13 minutes ago
Queen’s Park will be part of the first citywide Tree Festival taking place this month. The park’s contribution to the Festival will take place on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June with guided walks led by local arboriculturist Alister Peters.
If you would like to reserve a place on either of the walks, which will take place between 10.30 and noon on both days, click HERE remembering to specify which day you would like to attend. We will try to accommodate everyone’s wishes, but may ask you to switch days if either gets over subscribed.
Meet in front of the clubhouse of the Queen’s Park Tennis club.
Bark in the Park 2025 – official video and full results
Posted 1 week ago
Bark in the Park is over for another year. The winners of all eleven classes have been decided, including the Best in Show 2025, who turned out to be Jax (left) a red Labrador.
The community event has raised in excess of £2,500 which will be ploughed back into the maintenance of the park supplementing the diminishing funds available from the local authority.
Commenting Geoffrey Bowden, chair of the Friends of Queen’s Park said: “We are a nation of dog lovers and Bark in the Park provides a perfect backdrop for local lovers of our four-legged friends to come together for a fun community event.
“Understandably, owners are eager for their dogs to be recognised by the judges, but everyone puts aside their competitive instincts in favour of having a good time. And, if you watch the official video by award-winning photographer Keith Worthington, you’ll see that’s exactly what they did!
“The annual event would not be possible without the input of our headline sponsor, Coastway Vets and our support sponsor Sure Property Solutions, but of course, all the class sponsors and those running the pitches deserve to be mentioned too.”
FULL CLASS RESULTS:
Cutest puppy (under 1 year-old) sponsored by Creature Clothes:
1st Astra
2nd Ziggy
3rd Ozzy
Handsomest Dog sponsored by Play9
1st Jax
2nd Lucky
3rd Walter
Prettiest Girl sponsored by Moshimo
1st Pina Colada
2nd Lizzy
3rd Frida
Doggie Triathlon sponsored by Creature Clothes
1st Cap
2nd Winnie
3rd Coro
Golden Oldie over 7 years old sponsored by Paws with a Cause
1st Daisy
2nd Chunk
3rd Bob
Best Rescue sponsored Boy by Paws with a Cause
1st Harry
2nd Teddy
3rd Scooby
Best Rescue sponsored Girl by Paws with a Cause
1st Julia
2nd Luna
3rd = Pearl and Roxy
Temptation Alley sponsored by Paul Bott
1st Barney
2nd Sophie
3rd = Pippa and Wilbur
Fancy Dress sponsored by The Camelford Arms
1st Emmett
2nd Fred
3rd Sophie
Best Trick sponsored by Creature Clothes
1st Cap
2nd Meg
3rd Lucky
Fancy Sausage Catcher sponsored by The Camelford Arms
1st Barney
2nd Beady
BEST IN SHOW sponsored by The Camelford Arms
WINNER: Jax, Red Labrador
Woof! Woof! It is nearly time for Bark
Posted 3 weeks ago
It is nearly time for the annual canine fest, better known as Bark in the Park.
It takes place on Sunday, 25th May in the dog area of the park. Registration for all the classes will start in the Coastway Vets‘ tent at 11 am, with the first class, Cutest Puppy, opening the show at noon.
The climax of the event will be the judges’ pick for the top title, Best in Show and that will take place around 3.15 pm.
The will more stalls offering dog-related products, providing helpful dog care information and, of course, there will be a range of food options on offer too.
Commenting Geoffrey Bowden, chair of the Friends of Queen’s Park and presenter of RadioReverb‘s Pet Show, said: “This is always a joyous fun community event that helps raise much-needed funds for the maintenance of the park and there is already quite a buzz among local dog owners.”
Free AED/CPR training course available
Posted 3 months ago
The Friends of Queen’s Park has arranged for AED and CPR (Automated External Defibrillator and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) training to take place on Saturday, 29th March in the clubhouse of the Queen’s Park Tennis Club.
The training will be delivered by the Sussex Heart Charity and take place between 1 and 3 pm. The course is free and places will be allocated on a strict first-come-first-served basis.
To apply for a place on the course should email info@fqpbrighton.net.
CAROLS IN THE PARK 2024
Posted 7 months ago
This year’s Carols in the Park will take place on Friday, 6th December outside the Royal Spa Nursery with admission from 6pm onwards.
Your help needed
Once again the popular event will feature the Salvation Army brass band and the Vox Community Choir. However popular Carols in the Park is, nothing can happen without volunteer support to help make it happen. So here are the tasks for which the Friends of Queen’s Park is seeking support:
Before the event
– Putting up posters
– Helping to collect equipment by car
– Helping transport equipment to Royal Spa
– Help setting up tables and putting up lights, rigging up speakers
– Serving mulled wine
– Meeting and greeting members of the community as they arrive
– Clearing up the site at the end of the event
SECOND PHASE PLAYGROUND REDEVELOPMENT: It is almost here!
Posted 7 months ago
The Friends of Queen’s Park is pleased to announce that the Council has awarded the contract for the second phase redevelopment of the play area and the new equipment could be in place before Christmas.
An exhibition at the Jubilee Library on Saturday, 9th November between 10am and 4pm will allow the local community to see how the appointed contractors, Kompan, have interpreted the brief developed by the Council following the consultation supported by the Friends of Queen’s Park.
Officers and representatives of the contractors will be on hand to answer questions at the design reveal, which also features the delivery of other designs for Hove Park and Wild Park.
The next phase will start mid-November with a possible completion date ahead of Christmas.
The new features will include new equipment for the toddlers area; a sand pit element; a pendulum swing; a new climbing stack and the much anticipated zip wire.
It is anticipated that the next phase, which will now include elements catering for toddlers, teenagers and young adults, will take four weeks to install and will require some parts of the play area to be temporarily closed while the installation is being progressed.
Date for butterfly walk
Posted Friday May 24, 2024
Sussex Wildlife Trust’s Huw Morgan will be giving a guided butterfly walk on Wednesday, 5th June.
The walk will start at 11 am and end at noon. Those signed up to the walk are asked to meet in front of the Queen’s Park Tennis Club house.
Those joining the guided walk are asked to make a donation to Sussex Wildlife Trust.
The places on the walk are being all allocated strictly on a first-come-first served basis. Register HERE.
History walk – extra date announced
Posted Friday May 24, 2024
As a result of over demand for places, local historian Peter Crowhurst (pictured) has agreed to give a second history walk on Sunday, 30th June starting at 11 am starting at the Park Street park entrance and concluding at 12.15 at the cafe.
The walk covers the development of Queen’s Park and those adjacent streets, which were once part of the park’s estate, from the time it was open farmland in Hilly Laine to when the park was landscaped for use as a public park becoming, perhaps, the most ornamental park in Brighton at the time.
The talk will look at the various owners, including a Hong Kong cattle rancher and a mad Cardinal, and their contribution to this development and the buildings they constructed. The German Spa, an archery ground, a roller skating rink, Attree’s villa and the Pepperpot were all part of the story that will be told.
Numbers will be restricted and allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Anyone interest in learning about the history of Queen’s Park should click HERE.
Bark in the Park 2024 date
Posted Tuesday October 24, 2023
The date for Bark in the Park, the Friends of Queen’s Park’s ever-popular community dog show has been fixed for 2024. The date agreed with heading sponsor Coastway Vets, is Saturday, 1st June.
As ever, there will be opportunities for the sponsorship of each of the classes, as well as further opportunities for traders to join in the fun. To find out what is available click HERE.
Stalwart volunteer is honoured
Posted Monday October 2, 2023
For more than 20 years Chris Lowe has been a Friends of Queen’s Park stalwart. Sadly, ill health forced him to step back as an active volunteer and serving on our committee.
His knowledge of local flora and fauna is encyclopaedic, with a special passion for the park’s Swift population.
Chris’ exploits as volunteer pin-up boy attracted wide coverage in the local media when he posed for a photograph taken by former FoQP committee member Conrad Brunner. It showed Chris sitting at a table in the middle of the pond and was used to illustrate a story about the need for park volunteers (the pond being another of Chris’ passions). The striking image did the trick and in August a specially framed print was presented to Chris during a celebratory get together in the club house of Queen’s Park Tennis Club to thank him for his years of devoted service.