Doesn't time fly! The appearance of daffodils is a welcome relief from a rather grim winter.  Spring is around the corner but the prospect is rather dampened by the emergence of Foot and Mouth disease which seems likely to dominate our lives, for several months to come, and exact a terrible price from the nations farmers.   

I am glad to report that the association is very much alive and kicking but committee members have been a little weighed down by the combination of pressures of work and colds and flu since the beginning of the New Year.  However despite these annoying and unpleasant distractions we have met as usual each second Tuesday of the month and we always seem to have a full agenda.  Incidentally minutes of the meetings will soon be available on our website if you would like to bring yourself up-to-date.

The District Line Service - or lack of service. This topic is covered in the article on page  25  but I would like to take this opportunity to thank the shopkeepers in Arthur Road who agreed to hold petitions in their shops and encourage their customers to sign up.  This was a tremendous help and as a result we managed to gather nearly three hundred signatures to add to those collected by Southfields Grid RA and the Southfields Triangle RA.

Wimbledon Park - striking an appropriate balance between preservation and local needs. We are extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful amenity on our doorstep.  Over recent years there have been a lot of improvements to the Park area and it is a wonderful place for  parents to take their young children. It provides splendid sports facilities in the form of tennis courts, a large area for football and cricket and of course the Athletics Stadium which is now the home of the Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club.

Wimbledon Park has a fascinating history and its development has spanned more than four centuries.  However, more recently, the landscape architects Glasspoole Thompson were commissioned by the London Borough of Merton (LBM)  to evaluate the potential for park restoration and improvement whilst at the same time making it consistent with the park's historical origin and design. 

The Glasspoole Thompson report was published in 1998.  Many local groups and associations were asked to comment on the report including the Wimbledon Park Heritage Group, which was established in 1995 and of which WPRA was a founder member.  Regrettably no progress has been made with the recommendations of the report since its publication.

Recently I was contacted by the Wimbledon House Residents' Association (WHRA) who were very concerned about a new fenced enclosure which had been established to one side of the Boat club building in the park. Their main concern was that this was yet a further encroachment of the limited green space