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Friends of Radipole Park & Gardens

The Friends Group was set up in June 2006. The primary aim of the group is to work in partnership with Weymouth Town Council to preserve the benefits of Radipole Park for the community.

The park covers an area from Coronation Crescent down to the edge of the Jubilee Retail Park and is enjoyed by people of all ages and from all walks of life. It is one of the few remaining green areas in Weymouth.

We have the following five aims:

Work in partnership with the landowners, Weymouth Town Council, in the development and management of Radipole Park and Gardens.
Encouraging local residents to use the Park and Gardens more and to take an active interest in its upkeep.
Help the local authority to raise substantial funding for the enhancement of the Park and Gardens.
Carry out practical projects to enhance the Park and Gardens and its environs.
With the Council, work towards ‘Green Flag’ status for the Park and Gardens and to maintain that standard to secure the Park and Gardens long term, for future generations to enjoy.

The committee is chaired by Mike Goulden and the Secretary and Historian is Sue Hogben.

Help the Friends submit a successful Lottery bid

If you want to have a say in the future of Radipole Park & Gardens then the Friends of the Park need to hear from you!

In conjunction with Weymouth Town Council Parks Team, the Friends are seeking funding from the Heritage Lottery’s Parks for People grant. The Heritage Lottery funding is awarded to conserve heritage, promote the history of an open space and preserve treasured green spaces.

The planned scope of the Friends’ bid includes looking at installing new drainage on the playing field, developing a bog garden, promoting the history of the gardens by installing notice boards and producing leaflets, improving the play area by updating the equipment and installing water jets, adding a café and toilets, resurfacing games courts and path network, renewing fencing around courts, increasing the shrub, plant and tree stock, creating a sensory garden, resurfacing the path networks and creating a strong community identity.

Sensory Garden Project

One of the requirements of securing the full Heritage Lottery funding is to demonstrate that the Friends Group can fundraise to contribute to improvements in the Park and Gardens, and that community projects working in partnership can be successful. The Friends Group has a target of £30,000 and already they have raised £25,000.

This important project aims to create a calm area for visitors, particularly those who are vulnerable, to sit in safe, relaxing surroundings.

The Friends Group will be working in partnership with Weymouth Town Council and Weymouth College, where tutors and students are helping with the design and planting plans for the garden.

If you have any skills that could help with this project or know any local trades that would be willing to work on a DIY SOS basis, please get in touch on the contact below.

New committee members needed

The Friends are also seeking new committee members prepared to help with fundraising events. So if you have a skill we can use and a desire to improve this local treasure we would love to hear from you.

To discuss further, please email radipoleparkandgardensfriends@gmail.com

Community orchard comes into fruit!

The Friends helped to create Weymouth’s first community fruit orchard on the playing field at Radipole Park Drive.

This project came about following a very generous donation of £500 from a committee member, Denis Williams. Working with Weymouth Town Council’s Parks Section, it was decided that the money would contribute towards creating an orchard that the community not only helped to plant but can also be enjoyed by picking the fruit.

On top of the original donation, the Friends Group invested £500 to the project and the Council undertook all the preparatory work. The group also approached the Woodland Trust who provided a number of Whips to produce a protective hedgerow alongside the trees.

Bird box building

Younger members of the community braved a cold February day in Radipole Gardens to build bird boxes. The RSPB supplied the bird box kits and there are now 13 new nest boxes up in the gardens.

Swing into action

Thanks to a generous charitable donation a disabled cradle swing has been installed in the play area at Radipole Park Drive.

The Council’s Parks Section bought the swing but restricted budgets did not allow for immediate installation of the safety surfacing, however, with a little help from the ‘Friends’, funding from a local Cox Trust was found and the swing was installed for children to enjoy.

Since then, the Friends Group have kindly paid for the repairs to the popular swing seat.

Join the group

Membership costs £10 per household for a lifetime membership. If you’d like to join the group, please use contact the contact details below.