How we work

Working days, local partnerships, Open Meetings, applying for grants… it’s all in a day’s work for the Friends of Conway Rec!

Our main aim is to keep Conway Rec a safe, attractive and environmentally rich space which can be shared by local people and visitors of all ages. We pursue this aim in lots of different ways…

Work Days

The main business of the Friends’ group is practical maintenance and improvement of the pond, green spaces and plants that make up the Rec. For this we hold regular work days, often on a Sunday but also sometimes on a mid-week morning.

All are welcome to come with gloves, boots and suitable attire –

And just get stuck in! We have some equipment (including waders!) but it’s always helpful when people come with the tools for the kind of job they’d like to help with (digging, planting, weeding, composting, pruning, mowing, sweeping, litter collection, watering and so on).

See the 'What's On' section of our homepage for the date of the next working day.

Email information

Everyone with an interest in the work is welcome to join our contacts list. Each Friend on the list can choose to receive core information only (relating only to Conway Rec) or general information (which includes material relating to green matters more generally and notices about courses and local issues). To be added to our list, email your preference to friendsofconwayrec@gmail.com.

Meetings

An elected Committee meets regularly to steer the Friends’ work. We also hold Open meetings in the Tennis Clubhouse every few months and, in the Spring, this takes the form of an Annual General Meeting when Friends receive the Chair’s report on the work of the past year and the Treasurer’s financial report. There is also an opportunity to comment on current issues and guide the programme for the year ahead.

Grants and awards

Some money is inevitably needed to support the commitment and hard work of the Friends. The Council gave us a small start-up grant in 2010 and has, on several occasions since, supported our projects with small grants. From time to time, local people have responded brilliantly to special requests for voluntary donations.

We have also been fortunate enough to secure grants and materials from Biffa, the Postcode Trust, the Major of London’s Clean-up campaign and other sources. We keep our eyes open for opportunities to win grants to support environmental and social improvements in the Rec.

Local partnerships

The Friends have close links with a number of other bodies. We are in regular touch with Enfield Council’s Parks Team and local Police though, in recent years, contacts have been harder to maintain - and attendance at Open Meetings has become very rare. We continue to do our best to maintain contact, as we believe partnership with both bodies is necessary and important for reasons of safety and support.

Local businesses have supported some of our ventures and we have collaborated with our local schools – St Monica’s and Walker – on projects and events. Notably, around the difficult times of Covid, we worked with teachers, pupils and parents from St Monica’s School on the design and construction of our ‘Learning Circle’ Mosaic.

Conway Tennis Club

We are closely affiliated to Conway Tennis Club. The Club recognises how much it benefits from its lovely surroundings and supports the Friends in practical ways. We use the clubhouse for our Open Meetings and work together to host social events. Some Tennis Club members help on work days and support improvement work in the vicinity of the courts. The Club has kindly permitted us to erect two small storage sheds in the space behind the clubhouse.

Events in the Rec

From time to time, we hold events in the Rec. In June 2014, for example, we teamed up with Conway Tennis Club, St Monica’s and Walker Schools, and local businesses to mount a celebration of the centenary of the designation as a ‘public space’ of what we now know as Conway Recreation Ground.

The weather just about held for the afternoon and several hundred local people dropped by to enjoy a historical display, a WW1 allotment stall, some resident animal face-painting, traditional Punch and Judy, games, a raffle, refreshments and an elegant string quartet. It was a day to remember, thanks as always to the generosity of local supporters and visitors.

We have also held ‘Big Lunch’ days and quizzes and supported the Tennis Club in arranging events to celebrate its 2025 Centenary Year. Special days included a ‘Flavours of the World’ evening and a Finals Day enriched by food, music, fun and games.