About the friends

The Friends of Norwood Park is a community group that preserves, protects, develops and improves Norwood Park.

Aims

• to preserve the park as a place of historical, ecological and environmental interest

• to work conjunction with Lambeth Council to make the park a safer place to visit

• to work with the community and consult local groups about what facilities they want in the park

• to organise events and promote the park as a space to be enjoyed by the whole community

Members of the Friends work hard to raise money through grants and donations, which are then used to fund the many exciting projects in the park.

The Friends hold regular committee meetings and an Annual General Meeting each year.

Norwood Park is in the London borough of Lambeth

History and Achievements

1940’s
Norwood Park went into decline and became a no-go area especially after dark as there was no lighting.

1980’s
A group of concerned residents got together to establish The Friends of Norwood Park.

1998
The Friends were officially set up for the benefit of the public.

2001
Development of the new Country Walk started, converting 3 acres of the land once overrun with brambles into a ‘Perfect Piece of Countryside’. Dedicated volunteers have worked to develop this amenity for the whole community.

2010
The playground with water play area was built. Most of the funds for the project were raised by the Friends.

The homegrowers area was set up, providing a series of raised beds for the community to grow vegetables for home or to share with others in the community.

2011
The park celebrated its centenary since it was handed over to the community as a common and officially given the name 'Norwood Park'. This was celebrated with a centenary festival.

As part of the festival, the first Dog Show was held in the park, which received high attendance of many proud families and their pets. The Dog Show has since become an annual event.

2012
The Friends were awarded a £44,000 grant from Community Spaces to install the now popular outdoor gym.

The Friends secured funding for a falconry display, which was a huge success with the local children and has continued to be an annual event.

2013
The Friends secured funding from Awards for All, the Big Lottery to refurbish the Hungry Hippo Cafe. The cafe was moved from the small kiosk into the larger part of the main building and a new kitchen was installed.

2014
The skatepark (also known as Bloblands) was refurbished by Freestyle.

2015
The first Art in the Park event was held, with local artists recording trees and scenery in the park for posterity.

2016
A new outdoor seating area was created inside the cafe building, so the cafe could be enjoyed all year round.

The Friends worked with Open Orchard Project to plant 10 fruit trees near the home growers area. The new orchard is a mix of apple, pear, plum, cherry, and quince!

The Friends received funding from to plant a flowers in a new meadow area by the Salter's Hill entrance.

The Friends were awarded funding from Incredible Edible Lambeth's Love Your Roots campaign, funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The funding was to purchase a secure lockbox and set of basic garden tools to have on site in the home growers area, replacing the vandalised shed.

Updated the panoramic sign, a fabulous viewpoint over London, to include recent skyline changes (ie The Shard)

The Friends established a park watch initiative involving dog walkers to make the park safer, in conjunction with the Safer Neighbourhood Team.