Old Dagenham Park – Heart of the Community Project (2022/23)

There are exciting things happening in Old Dagenham Park and there are still plenty of opportunities to learn what improvements are taking place, have your say, and get involved!

Our parks sit at the heart of our communities – they are good for our health, a place to connect with our communities, and a place to play. Most importantly, they are free and open to everyone.

Time and time again you tell us how much your local parks mean to you. And so, we were ecstatic when we secured £85,000 of funding for the department for levelling up to improve Old Dagenham Park.

The funding can be used for the following projects:

• Up to £47,500 for park improvements
• Up to £18,500 for events, activities and maintenance
• Up to £19,000 for tree planting and related costs

We know green spaces deliver the greatest benefits to residents when they are designed using local knowledge. So, we want to make sure the changes that take place in the park reflect what residents want, meet local needs and restore pride in the park.

UPDATE

Over summer, Soul and Sound ran some yoga and circuit training sessions in Old Dagenham Park. Residents really enjoyed the sessions and said they were pushed to their limits by the instructor Toni!

See some pictures from the sessions below:

Refuge held an art session, a wellbeing session and a potluck in the park. See some of the fantastic drawings from the art session below:

UPDATE

We would like to thank everyone that responded to the recent resident’s survey. We received a total of 131 responses and some fantastic feedback and suggestions which will help inform the development and delivery of the ‘Heart of the Community’ Project. You can see the survey results here.

Some of the most popular ideas were;

• Fitness equipment
• Planting and biodiversity
• Seats and benches

Our Citizen’s Alliance Network Officer will also be contacting those residents who expressed an interest in being actively involved in the project and the management and maintenance of Old Dagenham Park and associated fund raising to deliver future park improvements.

So, the next 12 months will be an exciting time for this key community park, and in partnership with residents we hope to improve the services, facilities, and environment for everyone.

EVENT

On the 18th of March 202, some local park users joined our Parks Commissioner on a walk around Old Dagenham Park, to talk about Old Dagenham Park’s potential and how residents and the council can work together to make improvements and bring new life and energy to the park. You can read about how the event went here.

Join our Activate Panel to help us decide what activities will bring excitement and energy to Old Dagenham Park! We want residents to help us decide what new activities are funded in the park. You can read more about the activate Panel! here. If you are interested in taking part, please fill in this short form and we will be in touch shortly.

UPDATE

We have been busy planting new trees in Old Dagenham Park. You can see where the new trees have been planted in the red in the map below:

Background

The Council is in receipt of funding (£85,000) from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities’ Levelling Up Park's Fund.

This funding is available to support the refurbishment of parks and can be used for three different types of projects

• Up to £47,500 for park improvements
• Up to £18,500 for events, activities and maintenance
• Up to £19,000 for tree planting and related costs

We want to make sure that this funding is used to support and deliver improvements to Old Dagenham Park that meet local needs and restore pride in the park.