Apart from the Floating Pennywort incident, it's been a good year in the parks. Chestnut Avenue is still with us after the wet summer despite worries a year ago. We've had some excellent speakers at our walks and talks in the past year. I thank all of them. We have introduced a change to the way we do the talks. We tried it in January and it was very popular. We now have drinks available for a modest donation at 7.15, for people to chat to each other before the talk starts at 8. So do come along to them. They are on the fourth Thursday of most months.

I'd like to thank all the members of the committee for their work and enthusiasm throughout the year and guiding me through my year as chairman. If anyone is interested in giving the Friends a little more support in protecting our parks, we really could do with some help on the committee with maybe - leading walks or writing reports of them for the newsletter and web site. Within a year or so we will need some help at the new Welcome Centre as well as our regular talks. So do please contact me. You will be most welcome.

As you will have seen new paths have been laid in Bushy Park. The work on them has finished, and work is going ahead in the Water Gardens. The foundations of the original grotto arches have been discovered. It establishes that the pool is even bigger than was thought. It dates back to 1695. The camera bought by the Friends is now in place recording all the restoration work going on in the Water gardens. The camera will stay there until all the work is complete, hopefully in late autumn. Images will be available on our website www.bushy.org.uk. Work is also starting on the new Visitor Centre.

In February Home Park took delivery of 3 bucks from Powderham Castle in Cornwall to introduce some new blood so that the herd retains its quality. It's the first time in 30 years that that's happened in Home Park.

We continue to participate in the Forum of Friends of all the royal parks. The present priority is to secure improved policing in the park, including enforcement of park regulations.

Our web site www.bushy.org.uk. is working very well thanks to Mark Buckley and Carol Dukes. Do please join in and let us know what you have seen in the parks with photos as well, or anything else you'd like to say about the parks. We update it regularly so it's a good way to keep in touch with what's going on. Last year we set up an e-mail address list of our members, so that we can update you on any interesting development or general news of the parks. You can join via the web site, simply click here. We will not, of course, divulge your details to anyone else.

Elizabeth Thomas has left the committee. She's been on the committee from the very early days, and has been a tower of strength ever since. A very willing participant in all the Friends' activities and we are all sad to see her go, but she goes with our very grateful thanks.

Pieter Morpurgo