Mardyke Trust, Ockendon, North Stifford, Stifford Clays, Thurrock, Essex. Mardyke Trust.org.uk

Photographs

Pictures of recent projects

These are a few examples of projects that the Trust has helped recently.

External gym equipment installed in Dilkes Park in South Ockendon in January 2010, with the help of nearly £29,000 from the Trust. The Trust has also paid for many other improvements at the park over the years: the ball court, teenage meeting shelters, play equipment and seats, tree works and tree planting, community notice board and various other features. The park is centrally located in South Ockendon, and has been highlighted as an example of good practice in Play England’s “Design for Play” guide. The Trust has funded many other park and play improvements around Thurrock.

Orsett Village Hall: the Trust has provided new metal shutters to protect all the windows and doors, and has helped with a new insulated ceiling and lighting for the main hall – in total giving £24, 280. Apart from the village hall, the cricket club, bowls club, tennis court, Burma Star war memorial and historic pound and lock up in Orsett have all received Trust help, and money has also been promised towards a new play area. Other village halls that have received help include those in South Ockendon, Belhus, and North Stifford.

Above is the official opening of The Veolia Mardyke Clubhouse, in May 2009. The club house is at the Thurrock Harriers athletics stadium in Blackshots, and was built with £120,000 from the Trust. In the past the Trust has also paid for railings around the entire site, has helped with the costs of refurbishing the changing rooms, and is now helping with the costs of improving the grandstand. The picture includes young athletes from the club as well as club officials, together with the then MP, Andrew MacKinlay, Paul Levett from Veolia and our Chair, Councillor Charlie Curtis.

and just to show that Trustees can properly check on the projects they’ve helped to fund, here’s our Vice Chair, Gary Cockett, at the top of the £30,000 climbing tower for the Scouts, which is based at their district scouts camp, but which can also be used at other venues when needed.

This shows The Veolia Mardyke Bridge being installed in Purfleet in February 2010. The bridge spans the Mardyke river next to the river Thames, and links Purfleet with the RSPB nature reserve; it is also a part of the Thames cycle path. The Veolia Mardyke Trust promised up to £259,000 to this project, and the bridge was opened by March 2010. The bridge is 26.5 metres long, weighs 21 tons, and the foundations had to go down 15 metres.

The finished bridge, with our Chair, Charlie Curtis, together with Jackie Doyle-Price, the MP for Thurrock, and Paul Levett from Veolia. In the background is the RSPB’s centre at Rainham Marshes – a site which has benefited from funding from our Trust, and from the Veolia Havering Riverside Trust.

Further along the Thames, the picture shows sailing boats purchased by the Thurrock Sea Cadets with the help of £12,000 from the Trust. The boats are based in the Port of Tilbury, where the cadets have an old minesweeper as their base, and can safely use a part of the dock for training.

And finally the new play area at South Ockendon Recreation Ground. The equipment for younger children is fenced in at this end of the site, whereas the more exciting equipment for older children is unfenced so that children can freely move around, and so that any further changes can be made easily in the future. This is the closest park to the landfill site, and has been steadily improved over the years with the help of Trust funding, which has helped the football, cricket and bowls clubs based there, as well as surfacing the car park, refurbishing and fencing the tennis courts, and providing a new entrance bridge to the Brandon Groves area. The Trust are now working with the sports clubs, local community and Council to try to replace the old and inadequate sports pavilion with a new building that could serve the whole community.

The play area received £50,000 of Trust funding as well as £50,000 from the government’s “Playbuilder” programme. Over the years, the Trust has helped to improve, or provide, other play areas at Bonnygate Woods, Brannets Wood, Dilkes Park, Peartree Close, Quince Tree Close, North Stifford, Usk Road, Aveley Recreation Ground, Long Lane, Blackshots, Bulphan, and Grays Town Park, and external gym equipment at Hathaway Road, as well as several ball courts, teenage shelters and skate parks. In all cases the Trust makes sure that the Council fully consults local children and residents to make sure that each new site is what they want, and this has helped to create some really good and very well used sites.

Photographs Pictures of recent projects These are a few examples of projects that the Trust has helped recently. External gym equipment installed in Dilkes Park in South Ockendon in January 2010, with the help of nearly £29,000 from the Trust. The Trust has also paid for many other improvements at the park over the years: the ball court, teenage meeting shelters, play equipment and seats, tree works and tree planting, community notice board and various other features. The park is centrally located in South Ockendon, and has been highlighted as an example of good practice in Play England’s “Design for Play” guide. The Trust has funded many other park and play improvements around Thurrock. Orsett Village Hall: the Trust has provided new metal shutters to protect all the windows and doors, and has helped with a new insulated ceiling and lighting for the main hall – in total giving £24, 280. Apart from the village hall, the cricket club, bowls club, tennis court, Burma Star war memorial and historic pound and lock up in Orsett have all received Trust help, and money has also been promised towards a new play area. Other village halls that have received help include those in South Ockendon, Belhus, and North Stifford. Above is the official opening of The Veolia Mardyke Clubhouse, in May 2009. The club house is at the Thurrock Harriers athletics stadium in Blackshots, and was built with £120,000 from the Trust. In the past the Trust has also paid for railings around the entire site, has helped with the costs of refurbishing the changing rooms, and is now helping with the costs of improving the grandstand. The picture includes young athletes from the club as well as club officials, together with the then MP, Andrew MacKinlay, Paul Levett from Veolia and our Chair, Councillor Charlie Curtis. and just to show that Trustees can properly check on the projects they’ve helped to fund, here’s our Vice Chair, Gary Cockett, at the top of the £30,000 climbing tower for the Scouts, which is based at their district scouts camp, but which can also be used at other venues when needed. This shows The Veolia Mardyke Bridge being installed in Purfleet in February 2010. The bridge spans the Mardyke river next to the river Thames, and links Purfleet with the RSPB nature reserve; it is also a part of the Thames cycle path. The Veolia Mardyke Trust promised up to £259,000 to this project, and the bridge was opened by March 2010. The bridge is 26.5 metres long, weighs 21 tons, and the foundations had to go down 15 metres. The finished bridge, with our Chair, Charlie Curtis, together with Jackie Doyle-Price, the MP for Thurrock, and Paul Levett from Veolia. In the background is the RSPB’s centre at Rainham Marshes – a site which has benefited from funding from our Trust, and from the Veolia Havering Riverside Trust. Further along the Thames, the picture shows sailing boats purchased by the Thurrock Sea Cadets with the help of £12,000 from the Trust. The boats are based in the Port of Tilbury, where the cadets have an old minesweeper as their base, and can safely use a part of the dock for training. And finally the new play area at South Ockendon Recreation Ground. The equipment for younger children is fenced in at this end of the site, whereas the more exciting equipment for older children is unfenced so that children can freely move around, and so that any further changes can be made easily in the future. This is the closest park to the landfill site, and has been steadily improved over the years with the help of Trust funding, which has helped the football, cricket and bowls clubs based there, as well as surfacing the car park, refurbishing and fencing the tennis courts, and providing a new entrance bridge to the Brandon Groves area. The Trust are now working with the sports clubs, local community and Council to try to replace the old and inadequate sports pavilion with a new building that could serve the whole community. The play area received £50,000 of Trust funding as well as £50,000 from the government’s “Playbuilder” programme. Over the years, the Trust has helped to improve, or provide, other play areas at Bonnygate Woods, Brannets Wood, Dilkes Park, Peartree Close, Quince Tree Close, North Stifford, Usk Road, Aveley Recreation Ground, Long Lane, Blackshots, Bulphan, and Grays Town Park, and external gym equipment at Hathaway Road, as well as several ball courts, teenage shelters and skate parks. In all cases the Trust makes sure that the Council fully consults local children and residents to make sure that each new site is what they want, and this has helped to create some really good and very well used sites.