Weavers Fields
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
At just over six hectares in size, Weavers Fields isn’t a huge park but being located in an area of high-density housing means there are thousands of people passing through the park every day.
On one day in particular, the park plays host to around 100,000 visitors who are attracted to the park to attend The Baishaki Mela Festival. The festival is the world’s largest Bengali new year celebrations and transforms the park, bringing Bangladeshi arts, music and culture to the open space near Brick Lane in Tower Hamlets.
Events like Baishaki Mela Festival are likely to be eclipsed, however, in 2012 as Tower Hamlets is one of the five Olympic host boroughs. The cultural and community significance of Weavers Fields was highlighted earlier this year for an Olympic Development Authority (ODA) launch event.
Embracing diversity and sustainability
But Weavers Fields isn’t just about putting on a good show, the park’s long term objectives include diversity and sustainability. A recent initiative saw 200 native trees planted by school children, park rangers and London Wildlife Trust volunteers. In addition, herbicides are rarely used, no peat is used, water use is minimized and the park takes sustainable approaches to planting.
Ros Brewer, Landscape Development Manager for London Borough of Tower Hamlets highlights the importance of a warm welcome to the park as being crucial to the park’s being. “Perhaps the most important criterion is the welcoming,” says Brewer. “When you know people want to come into your park, you realise you’ve got it right. We are helping a lot of locals to have fun outside, something they may not be able to do anywhere else.”
Tower Hamlets has commissioned several sculptures to appear at the entrances to the park which include references to silk-weaving as the area was historically at the heart of this trade. Then there are the facilities which include: toddlers’ play areas, adventure playground, grass pitches, a woodland walk, lighting and CCTV, and seats.
The local authority’s parks and open spaces team prioritises involvement of community groups in the management of all its open spaces. Friends’ Groups and other voluntary organisations have taken over elements of its upkeep.
Chair of the Green Friends Group, Margaret Cox says, “Tower Hamlets is one of the most deprived boroughs in England. Open space is therefore paramount to well-being. You can go to Weavers Fields and forget you are in the middle of such a built-up, heavily populated area.”
Much relies on the three community park rangers at Weavers Fields to ensure the park remains sustainable, safe and accessible to all and the team patrols regularly. Rangers also carry out routine health and safety checks of play equipment and undertake minor maintenance work. They supervise events and work with the user groups, and they form a very visible deterrent to antisocial behaviour.