Thanks to lots of support and encouragement from Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire and Big Local North Cleethorpes, we were delighted to receive £10,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund to create a Platinum Jubilee Micro Park within Sidney Park. This is located in the grounds of Sidney Park Junior Football Club, many thanks to them for hosting us, and the regeneration and enthusiasm goes well beyond those boundaries! 

A dedicated group of local residents, under the banner of the Sidney Park Partnership, have been busy painting buildings, to obscure graffiti, cleaning the pond and carrying out weekly litter picks. Gareth Kaye is the human dynamo at the forefront of this fabulous group. All this activity has led to a lot of park users sharing their memories of the glory of Sidney Park in decades past and it is clear how much this green space means to the community. This makes us even more determined to deliver this project.

During Jubilee week there was a lot of activity and the buzz brought some senior residents from their nearby houses into the park to join in! It was fabulous to see the multi-generational gardening in action, experienced gardeners sharing their knowledge and helping school children with planting. It serves as a valuable reminder that our older generations are the golden threads that run through our community.

It is still a work in progress, with a lot more to come and the benefits can already be seen by the reduction in litter each week and the increased engagement with park users. More raised beds and wheelchair access to the area are the next chapter in this project.

Ward councillors Marie Green and Sofia Farren are enthusiastic and active participants; the police are very supportive and regularly engage with the group; NEWLINCS have delivered phenomenal amounts of compost free of charge; the Council have provided equally large quantities of wood chippings and Pennells Garden Centre have donated a gift voucher to help us continue to grow.