A revamped and redesigned green space has been officially opened and re-named Frendsbury Gardens, to mark its new beginning.
For years a patch of open land near Pincott Place, in the London Borough of Lewisham, had fallen into misuse. Now the wasteland has been transformed with the help of a £160,638.00 grant from the Big Lottery Fund, Lewisham Council and other partners.
Work started in the spring to transform the barren ground into a fantastic new community space and wildlife garden. Frendsbury Gardens will also be used to provide horticultural training for local residents.
Officially opened by the Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock, on Sunday 13 July, the event was also attended by local Lewisham MP, Joan Ruddock, who has supported the project from the outset.
They were joined by local residents and staff from Envirowork Lewisham, who worked for three months to transform the space into an attractive and welcoming new place for people to visit, explore and relax in.
Sir Steve said: “The new Frendsbury Gardens has come a long way from being a local dumping ground. The transformation to a beautiful and quiet new local green space is testament to the commitment of everyone involved in the project, who were determined to make it into something new for everyone to take pleasure in.”
Joan Ruddock, MP for Lewisham Deptford, said: “I’ve only ever known this patch of ground as an eyesore and wasteland. To come here today and see it transformed is fantastic, it really is a haven in the middle of the city.”
Debbie Pippard, Head of London Region, Big Lottery Fund, said: “The hard work that has gone into transforming the wasteland at Pincott Place has really paid off, and given residents a garden to be proud of. The gardens offer a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of a busy city and will no doubt become a much loved local space.”
In May, Lewisham Council asked for suggestions for a new name for the site, signifying the change from forgotten wasteland to inner-city haven. The winner was local resident, Melanie Leather, who came up with the new name.
Local social enterprise, Envirowork Lewisham, is run by Lewisham residents, providing employment and ground-based training to unemployed local people working on open space community projects and commercial and private landscaping contracts. Envirowork has been a key player in helping transform the run-down open land into Frendsbury Gardens.
The regeneration of the site has been funded for two years by the Big Lottery Fund, with contributions from Lewisham Council, Family Mosaic Housing, and South London and Maudsley (SLAM) to provide horticultural training to local residents.
The new space now has a formal garden and a sun garden. Frendsbury Gardens will also have a sculpture installed, which will be chosen by local people who have been involved in the project.