Myatt's Fields Park Project

Myatt’s Fields Park Project

Myatt’s Fields Park is a vibrant community hub managed through a unique partnership between the charity Myatt’s Fields Park Project (MFPP) and Lambeth Council. While the Council handles essential maintenance, such as cleaning, tree maintenance, and managing the water play area; MFPP breathes life into the park by overseeing its people, programs, and long term vision.

What We Do

As the heart of the park, our team works to ensure the space is welcoming, sustainable, and active. Our core responsibilities include:

• People & Presence: We employ on-site staff who serve as a direct point of contact for the community.
• Green Spaces: We lead volunteer programs that keep the park beautiful through dedicated horticultural management.
• Financial Growth: We raise vital income to ensure the park thrives independently of local budget fluctuations.
• Community Support: We provide space and guidance for individuals and organizations to host their own activities.
• Employment & Training: We offer pathways to work through enterprise support and specialized training.
• Cultural Programming: We curate events that celebrate diversity, with a special focus on music and cultural food heritage.

A 20-Year Vision: The Edible Park & Climate Action

For over two decades, MFPP has been a pioneer in urban sustainability. We have spent over 20 years transforming Myatt’s Fields into a dynamic "Edible Park," integrating food-growing spaces into the very fabric of the landscape. This journey has evolved into a frontline response to the climate crisis:

• Climate Resilience: We proactively adapt our landscapes to mitigate the effects of climate change, using sustainable gardening practices that promote biodiversity and manage urban heat.
• Food Security: By developing edible landscapes, we provide the community with direct access to fresh produce and the knowledge to grow their own.
• Environmental Education: Our long-term commitment to the greenhouse and community gardens serves as a living classroom for ecological stewardship.

Our Journey & Impact

Born from a grassroots movement in 2000, MFPP became a registered charity in 2005. We are proud of the milestones we have reached together:

• Renovation (2010): We secured £3 million to renovate the park, providing a new playground, children’s center, and updated facilities.
• The Pioneer Programme (2015–2030): In 2015, we collaborated with Lambeth Council to begin managing the park under the innovative Pioneer Park model. This partnership has been so successful that we have signed an extension to continue this work until 2030, ensuring long-term stability and financial sustainability.
• The Depot Transformation (2026): We have secured £930,000 from Lambeth Council to renovate the Depot into a multiuse Community Centre. This facility will be a borough-wide beacon for food security.
• Future Growth: Building on this success, we aim to raise a further £250,000 to develop our greenhouse and surrounding outdoor areas into an inclusive place of excellence and learning.
• Playground Redevelopment: We are committed to restoring our play spaces. We will work closely with Lambeth Council to secure the substantial funding required to redevelop the playground, ensuring it is no longer in disrepair but is once again a safe space for children.

Managed by a dedicated team of local trustees and employees, we are committed to protecting and evolving Myatt’s Fields Park for generations to come.

Our Strategy: 2026 - 2030

Our challenge
To find the money to protect the park in the short and long term.

Income generation
We continue to generate income by hiring out the bandstand, football pitch, tennis courts, Cafe, compound, Mulberry Centre and summerhouse. We want to generate new income for the park using the depot. Other income generation will include legacy giving, paid for events, education offers (eg gardening courses) and corporate sponsorship. We also cater for events and make and sell produce from the greenhouse to raise funds for the park.

Volunteering and training
We want to use the greenhouse and park to provide volunteering and training programmes that engage all ages to make the park a better place for all users. Training and volunteering will help improve people’s mental and physical health and help support local people into work. The training programmes will have the added benefit of maintaining the park to a high standard. We will seek funding to pay for these programmes.

People are our greatest asset
We will design one hundred ways that people can help to protect the park – whether it’s taking litter home, making donations, running your own project, becoming a trustee or joining a task force to keep the park clean. We will strengthen community ownership of the park by ensuring a wide range of people can contribute their skills, knowledge and experience provide leadership for the park.

Depot development
Bringing it all together will be our new depot building with a large central eating/meeting space, community kitchen, foyer and views over the greenhouse. We’ll use this to generate income from hires as well as providing an incubator for enterprise from Feb 2027.

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The Paperwork

• Read our policies
• View our annual accounts
• Companies Act 2006 Memorandum of Association
• Read our Terms and Conditions