About the Park

Legacy of neglect of Eton Grove Park

Eton Grove Park is one of the most neglected in Brent for many years and is mostly unused by the local people because it is in such a state of disrepair. The Park has become a victim to dog fouling, vandalism and graffiti. The Park is approximately 4.28 hectares, consists mainly of grass in relation to the rest of the park and very few, if any, facilities are provided currently. There are currently no plans to carry our any major improvements. Eton Grove Park is overlooked and under funded.

Our aim is to encourage and promote its use for a greater number of events. In these times of increased youth crime, soaring violence and drug abuse our park should be a place where young people, toddlers, parents and grandparents can go and have fun - not a place with a run down tennis courts, graffiti, damaged fencing.

A walk through Eton Grove Park

When you stroll into the park from the Girton Avenue entrance you quickly see piles of dog fouling. All pets should be on a leash in the park and owners must clean up after pets. Walking further into the park on the left you see the park fence broken, wide open and neglected. The park has Notice Boards at all the entrances, which need a coat of paint and graffiti removed, and should be used to display local activities and future events.

Walking straight ahead you walk past dog litter bins. You see vast amounts of dog fouling in the grass and on the side of the paths around the park. Everyone knows that this poses health risks to children in particular using the park. You pass one wooden bench, surely we could do with more benches when one considers the local population. On the right you see a lone dustbin, there are insufficient bins around the Park.

Further up there is another entrance to the park from Eton Grove. The worst of it is the graffiti on the Board, no gates and plenty of broken fences. The best part is the greenery, nature at its best in this part of the park. Nice trees and shrubs we can all be proud of. It would be delightful if we could plant seasonal flowers along and under the greenery. Turning left as you walk along the path you come across on your right the well kept Bowling Green and its Pavilion on the left (not to be confused with the demolished old Pavilion!).

Walking further down on your right you come across an opening leading to a three-stepped raised area just in front of the Eton Nursery. This place has great potential for people to gather for picnics with seating area created and so forth. The Flowers beds have long gone replaced by weeds and such likes, neglected for ages. Definitely lacks benches, plants and flowers, could do with water for drinking and for the plants and flowers.

Don�t stop, walk on further down the path and across on your right, probably the most neglected tennis courts in the country! The wire fence all along the court has big holes. There are four tennis courts which cannot be used, there are no nets available either.

Neglect invites vandalism, deterring local residents and visitors who perceive vandalized parks as unsafe, thereby resulting in an unused park that is abandoned completely. This is what is happening to Eton Grove Park. Upgrading the two tennis courts and converting the other two tennis court to a 5 A-side artificial turf football pitch similar to the one in Alperton and Stonebridge would be very welcomed by the local young people.

Local Survey

A local survey carried out confirmed that Eton Grove Park use is limited. Very few local residents currently use it. The few young children who come play ball and the few elders who visit do enjoy a gentle walk. The comments from most of the residents are that there are no sport facilities for our youth to play, nor is the walk very pleasant because of the dog fouling strewn around the park and the uneven walking paths.

Roads on the left side of the Park
Eton Grove - Sandhurst Road, Winchester Avenue
Roads on the right side of the Park
North Way - Byron Avenue - Fairway Avenue - Tintern Avenue - Tewkesbury Gardens.
Roads South of the Park
Girton Avenue - Sherbourne Gardens - Wimbourne Drive - Dryburgh Gardens - Whitby Gardens - Beverley Drive.
Roads North of the Park
Rugby Road

Our Children�s are our future

There is evidence to suggest a park with facilities for activities and sports enables children and young people.

- to connect with the world around them
- helps children to learn to value themselves and others
- helps children set their imagination free is essential for
healthy and well-integrated communities

Creating the right environment for the children to indulge their vivid imagination and providing props for their role-play is crucial to ensure they maximise the free play opportunities.

Children are looking for ideas that excite and that they can relate to, which rearranges the world through their eyes, and provides visual stimulation as well as enormous play value.

Consultation with children

Consultation with children is vital if their true needs are to be considered. some of the following guidance will be used to formulate consultation.

1) �What things do they like doing?� Will reveal a much wider range of activities that �which equipment do they play on�

2) Inviting their suggestions for improvement, both for themselves and for children�s of other ages, will encourage them to use their expertise - they are after all the experts in children�s play

3) Asking children�s �Where do they go?� or �Where do they hang out after school or weekends?� Is likely to reveal a wide range of places.

4) Asking why children�s do not go to Eton Grove Park will indicate physical or social barriers to their attending.

5) When consulting children�s it is important to select a wide cross-section by age, gender, culture, ethnicity etc. It is important to consult those who play on their computers and do not get out to play and play as those who do.

6) Consulting is a more open way does make analysis more difficult than simple tick-boxes. However it gives a much true picture of where children�s need their play opportunities to be located if they are to use them and what they think will give good play value