Hello it is my lunch hour and you must be the Nancy and Lucy Neil talks about? As you know he is laid up at the moment and very not well. I went to the Park with him as i remember it as it was beautiful and a treat to have a picnic there. But when they sacked all the trained people like Neil and put cheap contractors in it went down hill, and it is bad in some areas. Neil would not put on some pictures of the flower garden as it was terrible. Since I was first married to him when he was in charge of the Queens House etc at Greenwich I have seen his work, and it is perfection. All his gardeners and under gardeners knew that and with all the visitors it had to be. I know one of the contractors that work for the company involved in the upkeep of all the parks in the Borough and they do not get paid much and unfortunately are not trained much at all. It is not there fault they are just given a mower and told to cut the lawns, that is what they do! Neil has pointed out to me many times when they are cutting grass that it does not need doing, but it says in their contract it must be done, and it dies and goes yellow as they do not water it. he goes mad about it and was very upset to see it like this as when he worked there it was immaculate. They used to have to grow all their own plants in their own nursery place, and design the flower beds themselves. The contractors just buy any cheap rubbish from Holland, and sling it in. He is not easy to live with when he sees the damage they have done. The Council take a lot of money as Council Tax from everyone for emptying bins to the roads and Parks. Then at Beckenham they also get the money from the Golf, and the bar\cafe yet they still do nothing at all. He was very upset and so was I, it is not just this place it is all of them, and this place makes money the other Parks don't. i thought i would answer this as i know about it, and he is not allowed on the computer. For the lady who thought this was in the Country it is only seven miles for where they have the Chelsea Flower Show.
Thanks.
Tired Sarah.
