Addressing environmental and health inequalities

Garon Park Community Interest Company (GP CIC) and Wellbeing at Garon Park (WBGP) transformed 32 acres of unloved greenspace in one of the UK's most deprived areas into a thriving community hub that tackles health inequalities while boosting biodiversity.

Located in Southend-on-Sea's St Luke's ward, which sits within the top 5% of most deprived areas in the UK, Garon Park prove that community-led environmental action can deliver powerful results for both people and planet.

As Garon Park sits on the northern edge of Southend-on-Sea and offers 32 acres of greenspace, GP CIC identified the opportunity to help the local community, to improve access to green space, reduce health inequalities and build community resilience.

Outcomes
Key achievements include:

• 200,000 annual visits across education, volunteering, sport and wellbeing activities
• 4,000 volunteer hours to maintain the site on an annual basis
• 15,000 trees planted and 4km of hedgerow maintained by volunteers
• Comprehensive biodiversity net gain plan being developed with the help of volunteers
• Accessible facilities serving people of all ages and abilities
• Mental health improvements through nature connection.

Click HERE to see the full details of "Why we have taken action"