Page 5 - Managing Partner Awards Shortlist

These include regular park runs, drop in art sessions, weekly Parent Plods, Five Ways to
Wellbeing sessions and mindfulness walks which are open to all and aim to improve physical

and mental health.

Weekly Young and Green at Heart volunteering sessions aimed at improving physical and

mental health and Forest School activities have been extremely popular, targeting
challenged parents and providing outdoor wear so pre-school children can get actively

involved.

The Friendly Bench is the perfect community hub and has social events each Friday lunch

time to help those feeling isolated. The park is a constantly evolving hub of varied activities
aiming to improve physical and mental health.

Beam Parklands
Beam Parklands offers health benefits for the local park users by providing open space for

physical activities such as walking, cycling and running.
There was a noticeable increase in visitors to the site during lockdowns (2021) and many
have remained regular users. Several local residents/site users have told the ranger how

wonderful it is to have such a fantastic space on their doorstep and, especially since the
lockdown, just how much they now appreciate it.

Several walking groups have been led by the ranger in 2021 and early 2022 and these have
been primarily aimed at older users, as this group can often be more socially isolated. The

council’s Social Prescribing model has helped promote the group within the wider
community, including doctors’ surgeries.

Marking signage links the site to the Beam Valley and Eastbrookend as part of the wider
Dagenham Corridor; thus, encouraging users to explore from one side of Dagenham to the

other. This also helps to promote and encourage car-free travel around the borough.

Beaulieu
Beaulieu has become well known within the city of Chelmsford for having some fantastic

walking routes. Currently there are trails taking residents and the local community out into
the farmlands of Essex, alongside the historic New Hall School or even just providing

connections to other developments within the area.
The site paths are ideal for walkers of any mobility, often used by runners as well as social
cyclists. Personal training sessions also taking part in the suitable parks and open spaces.