News and next steps for the Radipole Park project
The Radipole Park and Gardens Project, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund, is making great progress.
The project team have planned and started to work on major improvements to the park and gardens. Plans include the installation of a new heritage café, toilets, upgraded play area and sports facilities, sensory garden, resurfacing and new pathways which will make the park more accessible to everyone.
A temporary art trail has been created in Radipole Gardens, using wooden hearts that have been hand painted by pupils of Westfield Arts College. Next time, you are strolling through the gardens, take a look and see how many hearts you can spot!
New bird and bat boxes have been put up in the gardens too. These have been handmade by one of the fantastic volunteers and will provide a cosy home for wildlife during the spring.
Meet the Radipole Park project team
Newly recruited Project Manager, Crystal Johnson, previously worked on the project during the Stage 2 Application. She has been busy procuring the design team, who will begin work in the next month.
The hardworking team who keep the site neat and tidy, as well as making some fantastic improvements, are gardeners Rob and Dom.
Rob said: “I’m currently the gardener at Radipole Gardens after joining the Parks Team last May. In past lives I have worked in settings as diverse as Queen Victoria’s Royal Gardens at Osborne House, on the side of Scottish hills and Glens with the Forestry Commission and as Countryside Ranger in Northamptonshire’s “Green Flagged” Country Parks.
“I’m passionate about the importance of parks to their local communities and really enjoy working with the community to make our parks really exciting and engaging places to be. I’m really excited about the new project and hope that, with a lot of hard work, we can make Radipole Park and Gardens a real flagship for the community.”
Dom commented: “I’m the Apprentice Gardener at Radipole Gardens. I started in November and am on a 2 year placement. The work that we do in the gardens is quite varied and interesting, with each day being different to the last mostly.
“What I really enjoy about working at Radipole is having the chance to work in the different areas (gardens, playing field and orchard) learning many different skills along the way, and meeting the local people who use the gardens.
“It’s going to be really good to be involved in the upcoming project and I hope to be able to work in the gardens for many years to come, helping to keep it well looked after for everyone to enjoy.”
A brand-new website, managed by the Friends of Radipole Park group, will be launched soon. It will feature updates on the project and new developments, as well as details on how you can get involved.
The Friends of Radipole Park group are always looking for new members to join their team. This is a great opportunity to get involved in your local park at a time when big changes are happening! If you would like to find out more about the Friends Group and what they do, email radipoleparkandgardensfriends@gmail.com
We look forward to updating you in the next few months. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Activities Officer, Rosie Osborne rosieosborne@weymouthtowncouncil.gov.uk