The Friends of Portswood Rec (FoPR) is a group of local people who enjoy visiting this green space. Working with both Southampton City Council (SCC) and other groups, we're aiming to improve facilities and increase biodiversity in the Rec, so that it's truly a place for everyone. We're doing this, as volunteers, through initiatives such as the weekly gardening group, and ongoing fundraising for new facilities.

If you've visited the Rec recently, you could hardly miss the row of mats on the grass, surrounded by fencing, running from near the Upper Grosvenor Road entrance to the play area. And on the play area entrances there's a "What's going on?" poster from Southampton City Council.

So what's going on? Quite simply, it's the provision of a significant set of new play equipment, for children aged around 6 upwards. This includes a multi-unit providing a variety of play activities, a Tipi, a Cliff Rider, a Cable Way and a set of six swings. (At tne end of Week 1, you can already spot the swings.) The areas immediately under the new equipment will be resurfaced.

The final design incorporates the most requested play features from the survey the Friends group undertook in 2023 when the old equipment was removed. Equipment for younger children will remain in place.

After 18 months of non-stop fundraising, the Friends' contribiton has now enabled the Council to buy and install this much wider range of equipment than would have happened otherwise. It's truly been a joint effort, and we must thank everyone who has helped to make this possible, either through donating money or in so many other ways.

For more information, follow this link. Although the Upper Grosvenor Road entrance appears to still be open, we have been advised that the play park itself will be closed for around 4 weeks from 7 April. Other entrances and areas of the Rec will remain fully open. With this week's fine weather, there have been quite a few picnics on the grass!

And why the upright posts by the compost bins? Well, they form the foundation for a "dead hedge", to be completed on 27 May. More details coming soon!

It was great news to share at our April Fools' Quiz Night, The more than £400 raised will go towards summer activities as well as replenishing our reserves, ready for the next campaign. Our special thanks to quizmaster Patrick, raffle master Tim and everyone at Trago Lounge.

The Rec is a hidden gem, as you can see from our video - "Portswood Rec - a Place for Everyone". Shot over different times of year, it showcases how much enjoyment this green space can bring to both adults and children across our wide-ranging community. Find out how to find us.

Welcome meanwhile to Tony Ridley, who was elected to the Committee at the AGM in March. A familiar face in the gardening group, Tony will be organising kids' events later this year. Some of the money raised from this year's Quiz will allow us to put on these sessions free of charge.

Our 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on 19 March. After the official business, we enjoyed a informative and energising talk from this year's guest speaker, Danni Grant, Community Lead at Oasis Southampton City Farm. Minutes will be published online soon. Please see the News and Events page for future dates of public meetings.

Question: what is the world's most popular board game? Answer: chess! A classic strategy game, it's estimated that up to 6 million people of all ages in the UK alone have played chess. Now the sun has finally appeared, bring your own pieces and make use of our outdoor chess table, by the tennis courts. With seats on 3 sides, the fourth is open allowing easy wheelchair access. You can buy an inexpensive set of chess pieces at Argos in Portswood, and find hints and tips online.

Chess is also back on the telly with the new BBC2 series Chess Masters: the Endgame, hosted by Sue Perkins. Our thanks to SCC who had successfully applied for funding.

The gardening group have restarted regular Saturday and Sunday sessions, the next one being Sunday 13th April, 10:30-12:30. Thanks to previous years' carefully planning and preparation, the gardens continued to look magnificent over winter. As well as visual enjoyment, we continue to commit to providing an attractive haven for pollinators, and birds and other wildlife more generally. If you genuinely enjoy the outdoors and would like to help develop and maintain one of Southampton's great variety of parks and open spaces, do get in touch.

Urban Wild is a city-wide, week-long festival celebrating "all things green, blue and wild in Southampton". As part of this, we'll be hosting a morning of family events at the Rec on Tuesday 27 May, as well as a table on the final day on the Common on Sunday 1 June. More details to follow.

We're delighted that Portswood Rec has retained the prestigious Green Flag award for another two years, thanks to the combined work of the Friends and SCC. We're also proud to be part of the city-wide initiative of developing and promoting more welcoming green spaces.

To find out about becoming a Friend, please follow this link. And if you're hungry for more about pollinators, check out this recent BBC Radio 4 programme.

Our new video gives an overview of Portswood Rec and our group:

We're also on social media:

Friends of Portswood Rec, Southampton, UK