Blooming marvellous - Lewisham's parks win gold again
The London in Bloom campaign and awards is about celebrating the many brilliant projects to improve our capital city. The key aims are to make London a greener and more pleasant place to live and visit, recognise our tireless volunteers, increase biodiversity and enhance neighbourhood communities.
The awards given to Lewisham were:
GOLD Large Park: Beckenham Place Park
GOLD Large Park: Forster Memorial Park
GOLD Small Conservation Area: Devonshire Road Nature Reserve
SILVER GILT Small Park: Brookmill Park
SILVER GILT Conservation Area: Garthorne Road Nature Reserve
SILVER GILT Small Park: Frendsbury Gardens
Each green space awarded had noteworthy conservation elements including ponds teeming with wildlife, green roofs, thriving meadows and Deptford Pink Flowers sourced and introduced to local green spaces by parks’ volunteers.
The positive comments made by the London in Bloom assessors included:
Frendsbury Gardens:
‘Although an overused word, this is truly an oasis for both wildlife and the broader community’.
Forster Park:
‘Great play should be made of this successful partnership, which, although occurring elsewhere throughout London, should be seen as an exemplar to follow’.
This comment relates to the partnership working between Lewisham Council, Glendale and the Friends Group.
Beckenham Place Park:
‘The relaxed but hard-working gardeners continue to plant summer displays, fit for a king’.
Cllr Louise Krupski, Deputy Mayor of Lewisham said:
“I am incredibly proud to see Lewisham smashing it again at the London in Bloom awards! Huge thanks to our wonderful Friends’ groups and all our community volunteers across the borough, to our fantastic Parks team and our excellent partners Glendale, all of whom work tirelessly to ensure our green spaces are continually rated amongst the very best.
We are really proud of our borough’s award-winning parks and conservation areas, improving wellbeing for our residents and increasing vital biodiversity in our borough.”