2022 was another busy year in SE19, with lots of different ways for the Gipsy Hill community to get involved – from helping improve the local area with gardening and litter picking, to coming together in celebration at the 2nd ever Gipsy Hill Village Fete, and inaugural Oktoberfest.
Take a look back at everything we achieved as a community this year!
The Station Garden
The Station Garden continued to flourish throughout 2022 with the help of the monthly Action Days volunteers, and the incredible dedication of the Great Gipsy Gardeners who volunteer throughout the week. A huge thank you to everyone! Find out more about how to get involved
Gipsy Road Parade
The Station Garden wasn’t the only thing flourishing in 2022 – Gipsy Road also got some much-needed love and attention! Specifically-designed planters along the parade, custom-built screens for disguising the commercial bins, and the brand new Paxton Parklet (the perfect space for meeting friends and catching up with neighbours, just outside Paxton Vets) were all installed this year. Are you local and able to help look after the new planters? Get in touch!
Plant & Seed Swap & Sale, and Petanque!
In April, Friends of Gipsy Hill hosted our first ever Plant & Seed Swap & Sale, raising funds for the Station Garden. The local community were invited to bring their own seeds and plants to swap, or purchase from a selection grown by the Great Gipsy Gardeners in our very own Station Garden!
After the swap, the Station Garden was transformed into a petanque court, open to all! Keep your eyes peeled for further petanque developments in 2023…
Gipsy Hill Village Fete
After the success of the first ever Gipsy Hill Village Fete in 2019, the event was back in Long Meadow for July 2022 thanks to the generosity of the Gipsy Hill community, who donated £3,755 in total to the Village Fete crowdfund. Over 3000 fete-goers enjoyed music from local bands, food and drinks from local businesses, and a dog show featuring our very own local pooches!
Inaugural Oktoberfest
The 1st October saw the Station Garden play host to Gipsy Hill’s first ever Oktoberfest harvest celebration! Local bands brought some Oompah! and there was Bavarian-inspired food and drink (served by our very own beer maids – thanks Chris & Andy!), with funds raised going towards our Dear Neighbour Christmas appeal. We all enjoyed it so much it’s back on the schedule for 2023, so check back for more details nearer the time…
Fanny the Cat calendar & fundraiser
In the run-up to Christmas there was the opportunity to support Gipsy Hill’s much-loved local feline, this time with the purchase of the Fanny the Cat 2023 calendar! Featuring fantastic photos taken by Fanny’s many friends, the calendar made the purrfect gift for Fanny the Cat fans and loved ones. Over 150 calendars were purchased, with funds going towards Fanny’s care in 2023. Thank you to all the supporters of our favourite furry friend!
Community Christmas Tree
As the year came to an end, we were able to bring a Community-funded Christmas Tree to Gipsy Hill for the 3rd year running. 2022 saw the biggest tree yet, which naturally meant more baubles – all made by the local community at our Christmas decoration workshop, of course. The snow was the icing on top (literally!).
The Christmas Tree wasn’t the only festivity though, as local bands and choirs joined us throughout December to perform at the tree and share some seasonal joy, come rain, shine, and snow!
A huge thank you to everyone who helped us to bring these events to Gipsy Hill in 2022, for celebrating with us, and for donating time, resources and money to help show our local area some love. We can’t wait to see what 2023 brings!
Want to get in touch? Email us, tweet us @OurGipsyHill or find us on Facebook and Instagram
Friends of Gipsy Hill 