ecoming increasingly popular Victoria Park has been voted the UK’s favourite park Margaret Cox waters at the Rocky Park allotment Plans are currently being finalised but the schemes will include new sports facilities, play areas and landscaping. There are many other smaller schemes benefiting parks across the borough. Cllr Shafiqul Haque, cabinet member for culture, said: “Along with this investment and improvement programme the council is keen to engage residents more with their local parks. “Parks play an important role in the community and have versatile uses for events, sports, gardening projects and leisure activities.” With pressure from government cuts to council budgets, there is an ever increasing need to raise income to invest in these green spaces. A good example of this is the disused toilet block in Bethnal Green Museum Gardens which is currently out for tender, inviting offers of refurbishment for use as a café/ restaurant along with a much-needed managed public toilet facility. Growing schemes and gardening projects are becoming increasingly popular in urban areas. They are a great way to involve people in parks and promote healthy living. In 2015 the council’s arts, parks and events service is asking for proposals from members of the community interested in starting such projects. This proposal is not aimed at creating allotments for individuals so only schemes that are sponsored by community organisations and open to all will be considered. Anyone interested in starting up a growing scheme or gardening project should email their ideas to parks@towerhamlets.gov.uk The council is also planning a world food festival in the autumn, which will celebrate Tower Hamlets’ many cultures and provide a showcase for the produce grown in gardens, allotments and growing schemes across the borough. (Left) Play time at Victoria Park (Right) Flowers at Winterton House are ‘outstanding’ Green team keeping the parks looking good THE borough’s parks and open spaces are kept in good condition and clean thanks to the dedicated work of the council’s Green Team, the in-house grounds maintenance service. The Green Team has 20 dedicated gardeners who are responsible for the maintenance and cleaning of the 140 parks and open spaces. They have spent the winter making sure the parks are clean, attractive and a safe place for park users. Throughout the year responsibilities for the team include grass cutting, planting, flower bed maintenance, unlocking and closing of the park gates and checking play structures for damage. The team also provides specialist care of the borough’s bowling greens. They are directly employed by the council, ensuring a flexible and efficient service that can be deployed at a moment’s notice to deal with any issues that arise in the parks as well as carrying out routine maintenance. Training has been an important part of the team’s development since it came in-house 18 months ago. All staff are now fully skilled with the latest training in visual playground inspection, safe use of pesticides and safe use of hedge cutters among others. Report any cleansing or general maintenance issues in parks to the Green Team via the Find It, Fix it, Love it app or call 7364 5004. 2 – 8 FEBRUARY 2015 N E W S FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 15
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