Make the most of Newham’s beautiful parks, urges Mayor

Newham Council is offering a wide range of fun-packed activities across its parks, starting with the national Love Parks Week, which runs until 1 August.

The Council has kicked off a fantastic programme including free Our Parks fitness training for people of all ages and abilities, the outdoors smartphone activity game Street Tag and parkrun, which made a triumphant return on 24 July in Beckton District Park South, attracting a great field of runners as part of Love Parks Week.

Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz said: “Newham is truly blessed with beautiful parks and I would like to urge everyone in the borough to make the most of them.

“The recent return, after a long absence, of parkrun, in Beckton District Park South, is just one example of our fantastic green spaces being used for the good of all.

“This summer, we are offering so many exciting activities across our parks that it is an unmissable opportunity for residents to reconnect more fully with each other and enjoy themselves responsibly and safely.”

Newham Council has started a 50-week Our Parks programme of free fitness sessions, running until July 2022 in eight of its 23 parks –  as part of its health and wellbeing plan 50 Steps to a Healthier Borough.

Schools and residents can enjoy the family-friendly Street Tag partnership game, in which players earn points by scanning virtual tags in parks using their smartphones.

The Council has created a Street Tag Schools Leader Board, which allows Newham schools to compete with each other, and a Community Leader Board, in which teams of six can take on other small groups or families, with the chance to win prizes, the first team winning £50, the second team £25 and the third team £20.

Active Newham and Bikeworks are also providing brilliant activity programmes. 

Active Newham is delivering free activities for children, young people and families over the five-week holiday period in various parks and open spaces across the borough including family yoga, family dance, family games, inclusive sports, rowing, karate, judo, multi-sports, boxing, taekwondo and baseball/softball. 

An attractive programme of weekly and fortnightly walks is also being offered by Active Newham. They will be led by trained walk leaders and supported by volunteers, taking in Newham’s rich and diverse heritage and history, showcasing the old and new, from old-style town halls and listed buildings to exciting new architecture and developments.  

Bikeworks, a social enterprise that makes cycling possible for usually excluded groups, is delivering free inclusive drop-in cycling sessions, alternating between Beckton District Park South and Central Park every Friday, from 11am-1pm, with trained and experienced instructors. The sessions are open to all and sport a range of adapted cycles including tandem tricycles and side-by-side and platform tricycles.  

Mayor Fiaz added: “I love seeing our parks, which provided such a haven of peace and tranquillity during the darkest days of the pandemic, offering such a great package of activities.

“I’d encourage everyone in Newham to take advantage of all they have to offer.”

The parks initiatives this summer are part of wider work by Newham Council this summer for children, young people and families. For information about Newham Council’s Holiday Activities with Food programme, visit: https://www.newham.gov.uk/children-families/activities-young-people-newham

The public can book free fitness sessions in eight of Newham’s parks through: www.ourparks.org.uk All people need to do is select a park or search by their location, choose and book a class – and get fit for free!

The Our Parks programme is provided by external, commissioned service Our Parks.

Timetable for free fitness sessions in Newham parks: