Highlights of 2022
This year, BPP maintained its Green Flag award, a national scheme that recognises the quality of well-managed parks.
It’s difficult to pick only a few moments from what was a very busy and exciting year for BPP, but here’s a shortlist, let us know if we missed anything!
Events
BPP and its partners continued to offer a varied programme for the local community and beyond. It included highly successful and well-attended events such as the Flower Show, the Love BPP community day and the music events in September.
A new food and farmers market was launched in March and the popular So Last Century Vintage market continued to go strong.
And of course, there were smaller scale and community events such as the Hip Hop Jam, makers markets, the family funfair and outdoor cinema.
The year ended in style with the finale of the We Are Lewisham, London Borough of Culture 2022 taking place in BPP. As part of LIT!, we’ve hosted a modern independent circus, a family fair with a beautiful vintage ride and lots of fun for children, a spectacular disco ball in the courtyard, a light trail with an interactive light globe installation and the very special visit of Dundu, a giant illuminated puppet that delighted thousands of people on the 21st December, the shortest day of the year.
Photography by Femi Richard and Dough Southall
The Gardens
Renovation work started on the rockery, and the Pictorial Meadow on the top plateau was very well received and flowered right up until the cold snap.
The grounds team also renovated several other borders in the gardens with drought-tolerant planting schemes, including a new gravel garden below the veranda. There is also a new planting area near the entrance to the Homesteads which should be full of flowers in spring. The team will be sowing some more meadow areas in the park.
Volunteering
The BPP volunteers installed a bench up near the Foxgrove which they had made from planks from an oak tree which came down in the park in 2018.
The community garden volunteers have continued to donate fresh produce grown by the volunteers to The Dowham Gleaning Pantry. The last harvest was in mid-December and went directly to the food bank, with approximately 30 minutes between harvest and drop off.
Other volunteers contribute through leading free walks and over activities, helping at events and so much more.
We are incredibly grateful for our superb volunteers!
Community
Our Park youth project
“Our Park” is a film and youth engagement project that has been running since 2021 in conjunction with Ciaran from Renegade Production, a local independent production house. The project has included visits to the park by residents who attend the Young Lewisham Project. There was a private view of the film in Autumn and the film with be shared with te public in the new year.
Free walks
A variety of community groups and volunteers continued to offer free walks and other activities.. More information can be found here and in the events section.
Park improvements
The East side project is progressing, with funding and planig application secured. Work is due to start in Spring, to include volunerrig opportunities. We look forward to bringing the east and west side of the park together in the coming years.
The Team
The Horticultural Apprentices qualified (with distinction!) and are now permanent members of staff and the BPP grounds team is recruiting for a new apprentice! The deadline is 3 January, more details are in the news section of this website.
The lake
PTP coaching continued to offer free swims to Lewisham Local volunteers and to develop their youth development scheme, with 5 newly qualified paddle sport instructors aged between 16-21 years old. They also welcomed many more families, uniformed groups and Lewisham young carers.
Activity in the lake ended with a few brave (and trained!) swimmers ice swimming during the cold snap of early December, a night time swim as part of the LIT! programme and the traditional Christmas Day swim.
Businesses in Park
Other businesses in the park also contribute immensely to the community, through events such as the Hip Hop Jam organised by the Homestead Cafe, free or reduced rate space hire for community groups in the Mansion and many more contributions throughout the year.
Thank you!
The BPP team would like to thank all stakeholders - visitors, residents, volunteers, businesses, community groups, staff and other partners for making BPP special.
Here’s to 2023! Don’t miss out - join the email list now for updates.
What are your highlights?
What is your favourite BPP memory of 2022?
What are you looking forward to in 2023?
What would you like to see in BPP in 2023?
Let us know on Facebook and Instagram @beckenhamplacepark or email your feedback, ideas or proposals to beckenhamplacepark@lewisham.gov.uk.