Friends of Forster Memorial Park
Annual Report 2023-4
We’ve had an incredible year working in partnership with our amazing community of park users, community partners, volunteers, Lewisham Council and park staff.
Key achievements in 2023-4
1. An award-winning park!
All this hard work and community engagement has been recognised with a number of prestigious awards:
● Achieving Green Flag Status in 2023 and 2024
● London in Bloom GOLD award for Large Park, 2023 and 2024
● Mayor of Lewisham Community Awards nomination 2024
● Silver Award Good Food Lewisham Certificate of Recognition 2024
…All of which helped Lewisham Borough achieve first place for Parks in London 2024.
2. Park improvements:
As a legacy from the Centenary in 2022, when we celebrated 100 years since Forster Park was opened for the people of Lewisham, we’ve been designing improvements for the future together:
1. Investing in Young People – a new youth project with wide support from community and council partners to create a safe and inclusive space for older children and young people.
a. Play area improvements, with £25,000 initial Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy NCIL funding to improve the older children’s play area (installation of chosen equipment expected early 2025).
b. Girl led design, working in partnership with Make Space for Girls and involving young people, especially older girls in redesigning their space, including a new Girls Design Group who have helped inform and select the new equipment and shape a proposed activity programme.
c. Further funding applications for basketball court improvements and a programme of inclusive activities for older children and young people (Awaiting funding decision in early 2025).
2. Securing over £100,000 investment in Nature – and a strategic agreement with Lewisham Council to both protect and restore existing valuable habitats and create new ones:
a. The Forster Park Ancient Woodland Restoration project, funded by Rewild London Fund from the Mayor of London to restore the ancient woodland, encourage new and existing woodland habitats to flourish and learn valuable traditional woodland management skills for the future – along with a wonderful new mural, woodland garden and nature trail, delivered in partnership with Lewisham Council.
b. A new Tiny Forest, planted and nurtured by volunteers, families and children from local schools – Torridon Primary and Forster Park Primary in partnership with Earthwatch Europe and Lewisham Council, funded by the Local Authorities Treescape Fund (LATF).
c. A new community orchard, in partnership with The Orchard Project, to support climate resilience with community food growing and habitat creation, funded by the King’s Coronation Heritage Fund and administered by Lewisham Council.
d. Extending the activities in the community sensory garden to include nature-based art workshops and accessible volunteering opportunities, with £900 local funding secured.
3. Investment in our Community – with more activities and facilities for all, doubling the number of people visiting the park and increasing the park’s social and economic value:
a. Opening of the Pavilion shelter, finally installed and much used by everyone, making the Frothy Coffee Hut one of the best places in South Lewisham to hang out.
b. Supporting the new weekly Junior Park Run and seasonal Forster Park Market, which have quickly become popular community events.
c. Supporting the new weekly Junior Park Run and seasonal Forster Park Market, which have quickly become popular community events.
d. Extending the outdoor learning area and gym, with four new pieces of gym and play equipment installed, funded and chosen by Phoenix residents as part of our Green Shoots project.
e. Meeting our commitment to diversity and inclusion, with targeted activities to: increase the diversity of our volunteers and activities, including a Diwali family nature day; and working with the community, including the Lewisham MET Violence Against Women and Girls team and Lewisham’s women Councillors, to help make the park safer for women and girls.
A huge thank you to all our members, committee, volunteers, funders, park staff and community partners for your ongoing support and effort to look after and improve our beautiful park and all it offers to our community.
31 December 2024
Forster Park Friends overview
Our overall vision is for the wellbeing of Forster Park and our community to be improved and better connected.
Our mission is to:
1. Support and enable the creation of nicer areas for children and young people
2. Creating a welcoming, vibrant and busy park
3. Help look after the park
4. Secure better sport and wellbeing facilities
Our values are rooted in:
● Inclusion and diversity
● Community and nature connection and wellbeing
● Working in partnership
Our aims support the Council’s vision to create an open, safe, healthy, greener and more connected Lewisham.
www.forsterparkfriends.org
