- Youngsters work with Council to improve local park
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Release Date: 23/01/2009
Youngsters work with Council to improve local park
Dozens of pupils from Heathfield Junior School have been drafted in to help the Council with its five year, £3.7 million park investment programme. As part of improvement works currently underway at Heathfield Recreation Ground the Council invited the youngsters to do what they love best, get their hands dirty.
In the latest of a number of projects in the investment programme pupils have been planting bulbs and hedges at the recreation ground under the supervision of Council officers and volunteers from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV).
Cllr Martin Elengorn, Cabinet Member for the Environment said:
“It is encouraging to see how keen these youngsters are to help improve their surroundings. I hope they continue to take an interest in the project.
“This is an important lesson for them, not only in nature and the environment but also in having respect for their surroundings and working together to improve them, and hopefully having fun at the same time.
”The improvement works will make a real difference to local people in addition to providing opportunities for the infant school pupils to learn about the environment.
“We are fortunate to benefit from lots of open spaces in our borough. We’re very proud of our parks and open spaces in Richmond upon Thames, which year after year receive one of the highest resident satisfaction levels anywhere in the country.”
The works will see Heathfield Recreation Ground transformed with improvements including tree, hedge and bulb planting, bird boxes to encourage biodiversity, extra litter bins and benches and the renewal of damaged fencing.
A plaque will be placed on one of the new benches to acknowledge the hard work and effort the pupils put into the revamped park.
Heathfield Junior School head teacher Paul Clayton said:
"We are delighted to be involved in the improvement of our local environment. Many of our children use the recreation ground and we look out on it from our playground. A cleaner, more attractive park,which has community participation will benefit us all."
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