A refurbished park has opened in EC1, giving a green boost to the Finsbury area.<br><br>Radnor Street Gardens boasts a new ball court, play area, lawn, seating and table tennis table. <br><br>The attraction was officially opened this week after five months of work costing more than half-a-million pounds, paid for by Islington Council, EC1 New Deal for Communities and other organisations. <br><br>The local community helped re-design the gardens – right down to choosing the plants, furniture and play equipment. <br><br>Cllr Ruth Polling, Islington Council's Executive Member for Leisure, said: "This is a densely-populated part of London where few residents have private gardens so green spaces like this are incredibly important. <br><br>"It is fantastic that the local community got involved with the project and the redesign of the gardens - so it's something that they will use in the future. This is just one of many projects the Council is investing in to improve Islington's parks and really make Islington a greener place to live."<br><br>Local resident and EC1 New Deal for Communities board member Rebecca Cresswell said: "The opening of the new Radnor Street Gardens was fantastic and the park was full of people of all ages enjoying what it has to offer. <br><br>"The successful transformation was all down to team work - with the architects, the contractors, the funders, local organisations and residents all playing an important part."<br><br>£300,000 of funding has come from EC1 New Deal for Communities; £80,000 from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund; £55,000 from Section 106 money secured by Islington Council; and £84,000 from the London Marathon Trust for the ball court.<br><br>ENDS <br><br>For more information please call Chris Weeks on 020 7527 3032 <br><br>PICTURES: <br>Radnor01 (L-R) Cllr Ruth Polling with 10-year-old Morgan Avery and pal <br>Radnor02 (L-R): Ryan Hutton aged 11, Brogan Hutton aged 12, Maisie Van-Helson aged 12 and Millie Van-Helson aged 9<br>Radnor03 – Harriette Garrett, aged 7, with face painter <br>Radnor04 – Four-year-old Kayden Skidmore<br>Radnor05 (L-R) – Cllr Stefan Kasprzyk, Mayor of Islington; Micheal Asare, 9; Ryan Hutton, 11; Brogan Hutton, 12
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009