Letter – Hackney Community Gardeners on the many virtues of Hackney Downs Park

Garden state: Hackney Community Gardeners are proposing to rejuvenate Hackney Downs Park. Photograph: Andrew Barnes

Thank you for publishing an article on 5 May on Hackney Community Gardeners (HCG) proposals for the disused bowling green on Hackney Downs, and our plans for a deputation to the Council on 26 July.

Unfortunately, the article focussed only on the small areas of the park for which we are proposing improvements and inadvertently gave the impression that we are critical of the park as a whole.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

HCG wholeheartedly supports the dedicated park keepers and many volunteers, including the terrific Tree Musketeers, and the stunning Hackney Mosaic Project which has made a huge difference to the whole environment.

They have all worked so hard to make Hackney Downs the beautiful and well-kept park that it has become over recent years.

We know that it is only by working together with the Council and other community groups involved with the park that the many exciting ideas generated by nearly two years of consultation can be realised.

Myra Heller
Hackney Community Gardeners