Chair's update: June

Tom Walker, Chair

Architects working on the restoration of Abney Park inspect the excellent stone repair works at the High Street gate. Photo credit: Kaner Olette

The restoration work is continuing with the trenching now filled in, including all the Victorian scree and broken china – which has been packed away for another 150 years. If you look carefully at the chapel, you will see the spindles are being put in place for the stained glass. This is the careful work of restoration in practice.

Our Trust highlights this month are threefold, on top of our normal activities:

For two years all our external events were cancelled. And then our office was packed away for the restoration work. So we have been taking a "patch and mend" approach to our activities. But on Saturday 21st May we did our most expansive "in real life" engagement since 2020. It was brilliant. We held a community stall to celebrate 182 years of this amazing place. We had merchandise, a plant sale, a cake sale and information – plus free dog biscuits. We made £500 on the day, but more importantly we were able to meet park users and explain what we do. We will do one or two more over the summer and hope to meet more users.

We have also just launched our campaign for a permanent memorial for Margaret Graham. She was a remarkable Victorian heroine and is buried in a pauper's grave. We are trying to raise £5,000 for a permanent memorial. We have a local stone mason poised to do the work on a fantastic piece of slate, but we need to hit our target to start the work. Please support it and spread the word. It's what the Trust exists to do: secure the stories and history of Abney for future generations.

The other thing we have been doing is working hard to bring Abney to more members of our community including those who might not normally engage with the park or are put off entering this mysterious place. We secured some funding from the council's Hello Again Hackney campaign, and we're delighted to be running some great events with local schools and artists – such as one with storyteller Vanessa Woolf.

As the weather heats up, enjoy the cool shade of this unique park. Thanks for your support.