Copy

Hackney Parks and Green Spaces Newsletter

Winter 2021:  it’s Tree Planting time again!
Whether you’ve planted before or are a complete novice, please sign up to help plant a tree this winter with the Tree Musketeers. It’s a great way to enjoy your local green space and get outside during the darker months of the year. Register for the following sessions:

Saturday 4 December: Millfields Park
Sunday 5 December: Hackney Downs
Saturday 11 December: Stoke Newington Common
Saturday 18 December: Mabley Green
Sunday 19 December: Daubeney Fields
Saturday 8 January: Haggerston Park



Chanukah Trail in Springfield Park
The Lubavitch Children’s Centre Chanukah trail at Springfield Park began on Sunday. It was great to see so many families learning about the story of Chanukah and feedback has been excellent. The free trail will be open between 10am and 7pm until 6 December (except for Saturday 4th).



Meet our new Abney Park Manager
In this month's newsletter we feature an interview with Emily Jost, Abney Park Manager. Emily has recently joined us, and will be responsible for delivering the Activity Plan once the park's physical improvement project is complete. Read about why this is Emily's dream job!

New fencing for Mabley Green
Work to improve the fencing at Mabley Green artificial turf pitches started on 29 November. The current fence has suffered repeated vandalism and is in a poor state of repair. The pitch closest to Lee Conservancy Road will be closed from 6 December 2021 to 28 January 2022. The other pitch will remain open during the works. 



Help Rough Sleepers this winter
You may occasionally see people sleeping rough in our parks and green spaces. We encourage anyone who sees a homeless person sleeping in a park to report it to Streetlink. Streetlink exists to help end rough sleeping by enabling members of the public to connect people sleeping rough with the local services that can support them. Winter is a particularly tough time of year for homeless people, and Streetlink are grateful for any reports they get.


Stoke Newington Common
Stoke Newington Common User Group (SNUG) planted 1000 bulbs on 7 November with the Girls Group from the North London Muslim Community Centre. They also enjoyed learning about the worms, millipedes and other creatures that they found in the Common! 

SNUG have also been working with Energy Gardens to green up and cheer up the embankments/platforms at Rectory Road station and Stoke Newington Station. They recently won the best Environment award in Arriva's "Station in Bloom" competition. Congratulations!



Kit Crowley Gardens Officially renamed
We held an official renaming event for Kit Crowley Gardens on 4 November.  This is the first public space in Hackney to be renamed as part of the review into streets, buildings and public spaces named after contested histories linked to African slavery and colonialism. Cllr Carole Williams unveiled the information panel honouring Kit, and there was live music, speeches and bulb planting by children from Wentworth Nursery where Kit worked for over 30 years.



Toilets
One of our Parks and Green Spaces Strategy commitments is to "refurbish all of our park toilets". Work to refurbish the toilets in Haggerston Park is nearly complete. The two sections of the building have been replaced with individual cubicles, and we are installing a Changing Places toilet for people with disabilities.



Aske Gardens
Aske Gardens in Hoxton was transformed into a Christmas wonderland for the launch of a new TV series last month. Aske Gardens hosted the press and stars of the show before the official premiere in the nearby cinema.



Photos
Stunning Clissold Park photo by Sacha Lehrfreund 


Abney Park's Remembrance Day Service


Rectory Road Station by Berni


West Reservoir by Mairin


Ladybirds by Jenny

History corner - Millfields

The land now known as Millfields became known as the “Mill Field” after a famous corn mill on the River Lea. The Mill was built in 1381, grinding corn and flour until the end of the 18th Century. A second mill was built in 1443 when the names North Mill Field and South Mill Field came into use. 

Millfields was opened to the public as a park in 1884, the London County Council (LCC) having acquired 23.25 acres of Mill Field North and 34.25 acres of Mill Field South.

The Park has housed many interesting things through the decades, including a stadium on the eastern side of South Millfields in the 1890s. It was originally named Whittles Athletic Ground, but was mostly used for whippet racing. 

In 1896, Clapton Orient Football Club moved to the site, after which it became known as Millfields Road Stadium. The football club began redeveloping the stadium, with large embankments built around the pitch using slag from the adjacent power station. 

The football club got into financial trouble at the end of the 1920s and were forced to leave the ground, moving to the Lea Bridge Stadium. The stadium eventually closed for the final time on 1 January 1974 and the Millfields Park Estate built in its place.

Events
 
And finally...
 
This newsletter reaches over 2000 people each month. Do you want your news featured in the next newsletter? Email sam.parry@hackney.gov.uk.
Twitter
Facebook
Website
Copyright © 2021 Hackney Parks and Green Spaces, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp