Gardens, Harrogate
Here you will find everything you need to know relating to the current and future activities of Friends of Valley Gardens Harrogate as well as important current information about Valley Gardens.
Who We Are
We are a group of people interested in supporting Valley Gardens, Harrogate. The Friends group was started in cooperation with Harrogate Borough Council in October 2009 and our first official meeting was held in Feb 2010. We are a registered charity number 1148369.
FOVG have developed a leaflet about the organisation. You can download a copy of the leaflet by clicking on the image below. It is a fairly large file so please be patient during the download.
You are welcome to join us and support this magnificent Park. To find out how to join, click here. Please pass the word to your friends.
Friends Pages
For current information about Friends activities and events, please visit our Friends Pages.
FOVG Officers: The Officers of Friends of Valley Gardens are:
- Chairman: Jane Blayney
- Vice Chair: Jon Collins
- Secretary: Peter Blayney
- Treasurer: Anne Grange
- Youth Representative: Sally Haslewood
- Membership Secretary: Jon Collins
- Marketing and Publicity Officer: Kim Wilson
- Volunteer Gardening Coordinator: Tony Sissons
You can contact our Officers by emailing them at any of the following links:
Chair
Vice Chair
Secretary
Membership Secretary
Meeting Information
Friends of Valley Gardens hold two meetings a year. Specific information about each meeting will be promulgated on the Friends Pages prior to the meeting.
Aims
The group is established for the public benefit for the following purposes in the area comprising Valley Gardens, Harrogate. In collaboration with the responsible Local Authority, the aims of the group are:
- To promote and encourage the involvement of the local community of all ages in the enhancement, management, conservation and preservation of Valley Gardens Harrogate.
- To render the area of Valley Gardens Harrogate accessible to people of all creeds, ethnicities, ages and degrees of mental and physical ability.
- To promote safety for all park activities.
- To conserve, enhance, and promote Valley Gardens Harrogate for the benefit of the local community, tourists and wildlife.
- To advance the education of the public in the flowers, trees, wildlife, and historical heritage of Valley Gardens.
- To promote high standards of planting.
- To protect and enhance the biodiversity of the area.
- To promote high standards of tidiness.
- To develop a management plan including an ongoing status survey in conjunction with Harrogate Borough Council.
- To raise funds, apply for grants and invite/receive donations and sponsorships to further the objectives of FOVG Harrogate.
- To identify operational problems and receive/address questions and concerns from the community, such as drainage, lighting, litter, and anti-social behaviour.
- To work with, and facilitate communications among, the local authority, organisations, voluntary groups, educational establishments and the public to further the above objectives.
A copy of our Constitution can be downloaded here.
The Original “Friends of the Valley Gardens”
We are not the first Friends Group to support Valley Gardens. In 1986-87, the Sun Pavilion and Colonnades were in disrepair and under threat. A group of friends, lead by Anne Smith, joined together to save them and to prevent the building of a car park on Garden land. A history of this group is well documented in the press coverage of the time. You can read more about the Original Friends of the Valley Gardens by clicking here.
Contact Us
We welcome your comments and questions. One of our “Aims” is “to facilitate communication with the local authorities, Organisations and Voluntary Groups...”
A regular agenda item for our meetings is “Questions from the Community” which we will do our best to answer. When necessary, we will coordinate our answer with Harrogate Borough Council.
For more information about Friends of Valley Gardens Harrogate, please contact us.