Milton Gardens is a park in Milton Ward, one of the most deprived wards in Southend. There are plans to develop the park and funding has been secured for a Nature Trail, but one of the problems is litter. New, enclosed bins to help deal with the problem effectively. Could you help?
A group of parents have come together to support the development of Milton Gardens through a project called A Better Start Southend. A Better Start is a 10 year research project that is run in 5 different locations across the country, Southend being one of them.
A Better Start is all about giving children age 0-4 and their families a better start in life. This includes better support for families when it comes to social and emotional wellbeing, speech and language and diet and nutrition.
Much research has been done in the past which highlights the benefits of spending time outdoors linking to both our physical and mental wellbeing. As parents, they recognise the importance of having great outdoor spaces where their children can explore, learn about nature and be inspired by their surroundings.
The parents are currently working in partnership with Turning Tides, Southend Borough Council, and the Police to help make improvements to Milton Gardens. So far they have carried out surveys with park users to get a better understanding of the issues/ideas around the park. Organised a clean up day back in November where the children also had the chance to plant some bulbs.
The Police have set up a regular patrol of the park and the Council have also given the park an overhaul by cutting back bushes making it easier for parents to keep an eye on their children as they play. More recently they managed to secure funding towards creating a Nature Trail for the children.
One of the main issues which came to light from the survey is the issue around litter in the park. This is largely due to the park having old style open top waste bins which means the rubbish quite often gets blown around the park or rodents are able to access the rubbish.
The parents would, therefore, like to replace the old style waste bins with new enclosed bins as they feel this will help alleviate some of the issues around the build-up of rubbish. The cost of replacing 1 bin would be in the region of £300.
Could you help support the parents in their quest to improve their local park by making a donation towards a waste bin? Any donation, however small, would be much appreciated. And if you can’t make a donation, perhaps you could share this Appeal?
As part of a thank you, Turning Tides will publicise any support we get in our SAVS Newsletter, through our Twitter/Facebook sites and if possible through the local newspaper.
Where a business is able to sponsor the cost of a whole bin, we will ensure a plaque is fitted so it allows the public to see who has sponsored the bin.
To find out more, please contact Hayley Duff, turning Tides Team Leader, via email: ttengage1@savs-southend.co.uk