Improvements to the Park

After years of frustration, the Friends are now optimistic of achieving major and lasting improvements. The need is only too evident: graffiti, vandalised benches, the disgraceful - and dangerous - disrepair of the tennis court area, widespread dog fouling, inadequate play equipment, the absence of any facilities for teenagers, neglected planting, forbidding entrances... this list is incomplete, but far too long.

A combination of Lambeth Council's decision to develop a management plan for Larkhall Park in partnership with the Friends, and the prospect of qualifying for grants from Urban 2 and other sources, means that the Friends will soon be dusting off the 1999 Master Plan as the basis for further, more detailed studies and bids for funds.

Achievements

In 1999, the Friends commissioned a Master Plan from urban planning consultants Burns + Nice, which Lambeth Council accepted in principle as the starting point for improvements to the Park

In 2000 and 2001, the Friends raised a total of £76,000, all of which was spent on new or improved facilities in the Park: £36,000 in 2000 on new lighting, benches, trees, and the removal of graffiti; and £40,000 last year to create the new pre-school playground in part of the One O'Clock Club's area.

Events

The Friends have organised three extremely popular fairs for the Park: the first Fun Day in September, 1998; The Millennium Fair in June, 2000; and the second Fun Day in June 2001