Press Release

Tens of thousands have cast vote for their park to win cash prize

An incredible 30,000 Londoners have already voted
for their favourite park to receive a makeover
and Mayor Boris Johnson is reminding everyone
over the festive period to put forward their
local green space for a �400,000 cash boost.

One month after the Mayor launched the Help a
London Park scheme - and with one month to go
before voting ends (Friday 30th January) - he is
encouraging people to decide which of the
shortlisted local parks will get their support.

The Mayor said: �Over 30,000 Londoners have
already voted for their chosen park, so make sure
you have your say and get your vote in. If your
local park is run down and in need of some
improvements, your vote could help it to become a
much more enjoyable and safer place to spend time
in. It is up to you to help to give your local
park a belated Christmas gift. �

The Mayor made a commitment that efficiency
savings from the previous administration�s
publicity budget would be spent on improving the
capital�s green areas. 47 of London�s parks, with
at least one in every borough, have been selected
as candidates for a cash boost. The �6 million
funding will transform ten of these parks across
London over the next four years through grants of
up to �400,000 each. As part of this the Mayor
will also award a single grant of up to �2
million to one large park for a makeover. This
grant will decided by the Mayor rather than by
public vote, with advice of a panel of experts.

The winning parks will be improved in a variety
of ways, ranging from better footpaths and more
lighting for safety, to providing new playgrounds
and facilities for children. Others will open new
cafes, refurbish derelict public toilets and
improve cycle routes. Many will see traditional
flower gardens restored, new wildlife habitats
created, and plots provided for communities to grow fruit and vegetables.

Londoners can vote to choose which parks get the
�400,000 simply by logging on to
www.london.gov.uk/parksvote , by text message or
by postal vote. Voting closes on Friday 30th January 2009.

London boroughs have nominated almost 100 green
spaces in their areas that are in need of extra
care and 47 have now been shortlisted by a panel
of experts and are now open for Londoners to vote
on. To make voting easier and to ensure the money
is used on parks across London, the parks have
been divided into five London sub-regions (North
West, North, North East, South East and South
West) with around ten parks per sub-region to
vote on. The winners will be the two parks in
each of the five London sub-regions, which get the most votes.

Ends

PHOTOS OF THE MAYOR LAUNCHING �HELP A LONDON
PARK� ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST FROM: environmentdesk@...

Notes to editors:
1. There are three ways in which votes can be registered:
Online � go to http://www.london.gov.uk/parksvote
Post � You can request a postal vote form by
calling City Hall�s Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.
Text � Text �parks� and your postcode to short
code 62967. This will automatically vote for the
closest park to where the voter lives in their
borough. Texts will cost 10p plus your standard network rate.
2. Voting will be open to all Londoners to
participate in and they are entitled to vote for
one park. This can be a park in their local area
or one across town, there are no restrictions as to what gets their vote.
3. Organisations on the expert panel advising the
Mayor on which park should receive the �2million
grant are the Greater London Authority, London
Development Agency, Groundwork London, CABEspace,
Natural England, London Parks & Green Spaces Forum, Heritage Lottery Fund.
4. Once the improvements have been made to the
winning parks, these will be maintained by the
borough as part of the funding agreement.
5. The Mayor made a commitment that efficiency
savings from the previous administration�s
publicity budget would be spent on improving the
capital�s green areas. Transport for London,
Greater London Authority and London Development
Agency is contributing to the parks programme through these efficiency savings.
6. The following parks are up for the public vote:

North West sub region: Brent River Park (Brent),
Southall Manor House Grounds ( Ealing), Brent
River Park ( Ealing), South Park (Hm'sth &
Fulham) Hammersmith Park (Hm'sth & Fulham) Byron
Recreation Ground (Harrow), Pinkwell Park
(Hillingdon), Redlees Park (Hounslow) Little
Wormwood Scrubs Park (Kensington & Chelsea)

South West sub region: Norbury Park with Thornton
Heath (Croydon), Wandle Park (Croydon) King
Edwards Park (Kingston) Kennington Park
(Lambeth), Spring Gardens (Lambeth) Ravensbury
Park (Merton), Crane Valley Park (Richmond/
Hounslow), Wandle valley with St Helier open
spaces (Sutton), King Georges Park ( Wandsworth),
Latchmere Recreation Ground ( Wandsworth)

North sub region: Coram's Fields ( Camden),
Lincolns Inn Fields ( Camden), Dollis Valley
Green Walk ( Barnet), Arnos Park ( Enfield),
Broadley Street Gardens ( Westminster),
Shoreditch Park ( Hackney), Barnard Park (
Islington), Elthorne Park ( Islington), Lordship
Recreation Ground ( Haringey), Bunhill Fields ( City of London/Islington),

South East sub region: Penge Parks ( Bromley),
Avery Hill Park ( Greenwich), Maryon Park (
Greenwich), Parish Wood Park ( Bexley), Dickens
Square ( Southwark), Camberwell Green (
Southwark), Deptford Park ( Lewisham), Mayow Park ( Lewisham)

North East sub region: Abbey Green ( Barking and
Dagenham), Mayesbrook Park ( Barking and
Dagenham), Harrow Lodge Park ( Havering), Central
Park (Havering), Greenway (Newham), Fairlop
Waters Country Park ( Redbridge), Goodmayes Park
( Redbridge), Bethnal Green (Tower Hamlets),
Victoria Park (Tower Hamlets), Marsh Lane (Waltham Forest)