Beam Parklands receives bags of help from Tesco

Thanks to the support of Tesco shoppers through Tesco’s Bags of Help funding initiative administered by Groundwork, Beam Parklands in Dagenham has been successful in securing funding of £12,000.

This money, raised through the 5p carrier bag charge, will enable us to carry out a number of improvements to the site, creating valuable opportunities for the community to learn and experience the benefits of their local green space.

Beam Parklands in Dagenham, East London is well used by both local communities that surround the park and neighbouring schools that regularly use the park for formal and informal educational activities. In the last year, approximately 700 school children visited Beam Parklands to learn about the natural world, discovering wildlife and finding out about how the different habitats provide homes and food for a large range of species.  A Tesco Bags of Help grant will allow us to provide some exciting new equipment on site, including a new natural play area with a tractor tyre swing and climbing net, as well as a new and improved outdoor classroom area with log seating and tables.  New signage boards will provide lots of fascinating information about the wildlife found on site and help children identify mini-beasts, birds and other animals, as well as learning about the park’s history.

Cllr Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for Community Leadership and Engagement for Barking and Dagenham Council said: “This is a fantastic initiative which reaps huge benefits for park users and provides additional educational value for young people.  Tesco has shown they understand the need and value to be a socially responsible business.”