Lordship Rec wins £3.8million lottery grant!

Today the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) have announced that Lordship Recreation Ground in Haringey has been awarded confirmed funding of £3.8million under their Parks for People scheme. The 23-hectare park, known by locals as The Rec, was opened in 1932 and is one of the few open spaces serving a densely populated inner urban area that includes the Broadwater Farm Estate.

The award has been made as part of a £10.6million funding package to six of the UK's much-loved parks by the HLF and BIG.

Further support for the Lordship Rec comes from Haringey Council who will be contributing over £3m in capital and running costs, with a further £400,000 from the Mayor of London¹s Help a London Park Scheme and £300,000 from the Environment Agency.

The grant will enable the restoration of the park's unique features including a model traffic area, created in the late 1930s for children on bicycles and in pedal cars to learn highway safety on a miniature road layout complete with traffic signs and zebra crossings. The money will also be used for:

* restoration of the Moselle River, which includes developing a more natural river course and a long-term water cleansing programme
* restoration of historic features including the Shell Theatre
* a new environment centre, information and community shop, and bike track
* extensive landscaping work throughout the park.

The new Environment Centre will be an exemplar low energy building developed to ‘Passivehaus’ standards. The new building will be constructed with natural, robust materials and will house a new café, toilets and community facilities.

The funds will also be used to develop a programme of activities encouraging more people to use the park, provide training and skills for local people and to recruit and train more volunteers to help with the day-to-day running of the park.

Friends of Lordship Rec