Alan visits the park every day to walk, and does bowling when he can, even though he isn't good enough to play properly - so doesn't get to play as much as he would like to. He plays bowling because he enjoys it, and the company.

He used to feed the birds, but that's too expensive now... he can't afford the bird seed.

He talks about the condition of the paths not being great - the leaves make it hard to walk with a walking stick, its not very safe, when he used to live near Alexander Park the leaves were cleared every day. But that's what happens when you have trees. He thinks the trees are fantastic though! 

Alan also talks about the flooding, and how that could be have been dealt with better... it floods in the parts of the park he walks in! It took a long time to sort - and they should have maybe created a path that didn't mean you had to go on the wet grass. It was a long while before it was safe enough for him to walk.

During the lock down - loved seeing how busy the park was, how people came to the park, young and old... spent the day coming! 

Hello, Alan. Can you tell me why you're in the park today? I'm a member of the club. The bowling club in the park? Yeah. And how long have you been a member? I'd say about eight years

And, um how often do you come to the park? How you come every day. And is that since the the pandemic, or were you coming in every day before the pandemic? If I could get in every day, I go in every day. So you don't come bowling every day

How many times we only just started. I good enough to get on the bowling team. I still used to come around

Well, we used to have two teams, and they, uh they only had enough players for one, so I was left out of it. So I didn't come in when they were just playing the cells and that among ourselves. So you don't do, like competitive bowling at the moment

I'm not. I'm not good at it. I just enjoy it

And do you feel that it helps you to keep fit? Or is it for the company or Yeah, very good. And you walk around the park every day Every day that I can do If it's pouring all this stuff, I do try and keep going right around every day. When I finished after bowling, you have a walk around the main path and, um, and a couple of hours and all that stuff

Yeah. And, um how, uh, gone a bit blanky here, asking me the question. Yeah

So what do you think about the park? I think it's lovely that he, uh I used to come in and feed the bulls and all that sort of stuff, but I found out it's costing me a lot to feed the birds where we live. Oh, you're getting seeds and things for them. Yeah, it's very expensive, isn't it? Yeah

And, um, have you got a favourite part of the park? I'd like to say the polling that really, You like coming here anyway for the company and you get to know people just if it's only like your own show and all this sort of stuff sitting on your own. You know, I call it the I've never been on my own before, right? So, um, this is a place to come for a bit of company as well. So when the bowling seasons finished, do you do all the things apart from walking to take part in? Is it snooker? Oh, yeah

You play snooker as well? Yeah. Oh, well, it doesn't matter. Oh, it's the taking part, isn't it? Yeah

Yeah. So when you walk around the park, um, are you happy with the condition of the paths? And you know that the main path coming from yeah, Yeah, it was covered in covered in leaves unless they move. But I used to live at opposite Alexander Park, and them days they be moved before we got up

Virtually. And what makes it worse? They didn't have the machinery. Art style

Them days is what they do now. So you just feel that the leaves not being cleared. I can understand why

You know, it's just unfortunate that you've got the trees. The trees are hopefully So I set the trees down. I would highlight in where I live, and I dropped down there

Oh, yes. So, yeah, I suppose you'd like just like they've done more regularly than sweeping off the leaves. Really? You know, is that what you're saying? Really? That Yeah, Well, as I say, I understand the way things are going at the moment

Yeah. And you as a retired person, do you feel that that presents a difficulty for you in coming to the leaves, the wet leaves? Well, yeah, because in all fairness, that thing that I've got to got the rubber on the end of it, and it does go. I would like a You've got a walking stick, but I feel better with it with it

Yeah. Yeah. And, um, if there was money to improve the park, um, have you got any thoughts about what you'd like to see? Changed, change or improved? Do you think anything needs to be improved? Well, yeah, there was

I know it was a big job out here with the water, but I'm convinced it could have been done better the the way it was, because I know Well, I walk around every day, so I walk over that You mean a lot of people that do exactly the same as me. What it was I think it was a bit of a disgrace. You mean the the recent flooding, But I think they could have made a path across so that anyone who was walking around didn't have to go on to the I know it

Yeah, to get through on the wet grass was very difficult, wasn't it? Really? Yeah. So So you felt that it didn't get remedied quickly enough. Really? When they cleared it and put it down, it took time to get where you could walk

Yeah. So? So, apart from the flooding on the path, you're quite happy with how things are. Yeah

I think I worked in the animal thing for a couple of days. Volunteer too much. It's not too much hard work

It's a matter. But they get this. And I was thinking more of their time than what it was worth

Me staying complicated. All the different animals to help me, not park. Yeah

Yeah. Is there? Is there anything else you'd like to tell me about how you use the park or any other suggestions? You'd like to having parties there during the show? Especially last year? Yeah, more or less. A bloody spot

The teenagers coming here, the people was coming and you were happy to see that way. Yeah, a lot of Yeah. I mean, a lot of families

I suppose there was nowhere indoors to take the Children. Where? There. So, as you say, there were a lot of parties weren't there, but yeah, I was thinking you were referring to the other issue here, you know, at the park with the kids coming at night and having parties

And that is something that I don't see how you're gonna stop, because this place in green here got railings all around. Don't stop. No

I come in during the summer just to obviously I think it was rain and the, uh, the number of them things. No. No, I was

So thanks very much for telling me about your thoughts on the park today. Is there anything else that you wanted to mention about the park? Lovely. Thank you, Alan

So I'll just stop the recording now..

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