New friends group to reclaim Cathnor Park for community

A new ‘friends’ group is being set up in Cathnor Park as part of the council’s drive to stamp out knife crime and violence.

Image 1

Members of the Friends of Cathnor Park group. Pictured left to right are Tim Corn, Jonathan Whiteman and Luke Ridley

A new ‘friends’ group is being set up in Cathnor Park as part of the council’s drive to stamp out knife crime and violence in the borough.

In recent years, the small park in Melina Road, Hammersmith, had become a bit of a focal point for anti-social behaviour and drug-dealing.

Now the council and police are urging local residents and businesses to form a new friends group, to work alongside them in keeping the park safe and pleasant for residents and visitors.

“We want our parks to be safe, welcoming spaces people should not hesitate to visit,” said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Cabinet Member for Environment.

“We always want to work with residents, rather than doing things to them. So this new friends group will help us reclaim this park for residents and visitors to enjoy, and make it less desirable as a location for criminals.”

A sense of pride

Part of the work the Friends will do will involve gardening projects to enhance the park and make it more welcoming, but the group will also help make changes to the park so it’s less attractive to criminals.

“The proposed ‘Friends of Cathnor Park’ will be a catalyst bringing the local residents, the council and the police together with a planned approach to maintenance and improvement of the park landscape,” said Friends member and local resident, Tim Corn.

“The group will give back to the community a sense of pride for the park by making it a clean, safe, friendly place for all families and residents.”

Recently, the parks police along with the safer neighbourhood policing team increased patrols in the park following a rise in ASB, which led to the arrest of an armed drug dealer. And a recent weapons sweep uncovered a satchel full of shotgun cartridges which have now been disposed of by the police.

Find out more about our parks and open spaces and joining, or starting a friends group for your local park.

You can contact the Parks Police on 0300 3655 101.

Want to read more news stories like this? Subscribe to our weekly e-news bulletin.

Translate this website