Focus
Keep the Green Flag flying 14/07/11
Loved by all who use it, the park has won the Green Flag Award for the past four years. Over the past eight years the Friends of Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Field and Merton Council have transformed it into a gleaming jewel. Now the park is under threat…
Perhaps you take your children or grandchildren to the playground, play tennis or a round of crazy golf, kick a ball about? Perhaps you take your dog for a walk there − it’s a lovely place for them to get their exercise. Do your children splash in the paddling pool in the holidays? To keep fit, do you jog and use the trim trail around the perimeter of the park? Maybe you like a simple walk through the park to enjoy the day.
The Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Field is a thriving community facility, thanks to investment by the council and the hard work of the Friends group since 2003.
At risk
But budget cuts by Merton Council mean the park will lose its full-time park keeper. With no park keeper, the toilets will be shut and less maintenance work will be carried out, say the Friends.
From being a safe place for children and families, the park will be at risk of anti-social behaviour, litter, drug abuse and more vandalism and graffiti, the group warns.
“Already, the hours the park attendants are on site have been reduced. When they are not there, the toilets are shut, maintenance falls and litter, vandalism and graffiti can grow,” says a Friends spokesman. “It could become a place we don't want to go.”
The group emphasises that it does not want to be alarmist. “These things can be kept in check, but only with help. If you enjoy the park, and there are hundreds of visitors every day, can you take a moment to add your voice to support it? Please join the Friends today,” asks the spokesman.
A tiny price
The Friends group says: “It costs just £2 per household for whole year to be a member. A tiny price to pay for supporting this wonderful local facility. By joining the Friends, you add your voice to all those who want the park to be preserved and developed for everyone today, tomorrow and in years to come.
“The more members there are, the louder the Friends’ voice becomes when it debates our park’s future with the council and other funding bodies.”
If you would like to help preserve and develop your park for you and your family to enjoy, click here to join the Friends of Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Field.
Open afternoon
The Friends group held an open afternoon on Saturday, 16 July 2011, at which the cafe was open and there were homemade cakes, free crazy golf, children’s activities, information about the Bat Project and a photography display in the pavilion.
The Friends’ annual general meeting was held at 3pm. The agenda included updates on recent developments, plus a discussion of ways the group can help the park through volunteering projects. See photos here.
Transformation
In 2003 when the Friends began their work, the park was neglected, overgrown and had fewer facilities.
Supported by the continued work of the Friends, it has much-improved facilities, such as the multi-sports pitch, crazy golf, trim-trail, new benches, planting and the paddling pool, which was threatened with closure when the Friends were formed. And it has enjoyed a Green Flag Award for the past four years.
For more information about the Friends and the park visit www.friendsofsjh.org
External links:
Friends of Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Field
History of Sir Joseph
Hood Memorial Playing Field (Merton Council)
Facilities at the park (Merton Council)
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