A new drinking fountain has been installed in an Ealing park by a community group, giving walkers, runners, playing children and even pet dogs somewhere to parch their thirst.
It was installed in Lammas Park, owned and managed by Ealing Council, by the Ealing Half Marathon Legacy Community Interest Company (EHM Legacy). The not-for-profit organisation is the community arm of the Ealing Half Marathon.
Lammas Park has football and tennis pitches, a children’s play area and outdoor gym equipment and is also a popular location for runners and dog walkers.
The drinking fountain, at the Culmington Road end of the park, will provide everyone with convenient access to free and clean drinking water. It is designed to be extremely durable; has a drinking tap and a bottle-filling tap; and it also has a floor-level tap perfect for dogs.
It was first put to wide use on Friday (4 January) during the monthly Ealing Mile, an event funded and organised by EHM Legacy. The fountain is directly next to the start-line of the race, which takes place at lunchtime on the first Friday of each month and is attended by both runners and walkers.
Celebrations for the 100th mile event are due to take place on 1 February. Lammas Park is also where the award-winning Ealing Half Marathon starts and finishes, so the fountain is sure to be put to lots of use.
The idea behind the fountain was to encourage people to get active outdoors – and it will also help reduce the use of plastic and the consumption of sugary drinks, especially by children.
Kelvin Walker, director of EHM Legacy and founder of Ealing Half Marathon, said: “At the moment, if anyone in Lammas Park is thirsty, they have to walk to a shop or café and buy a drink, probably in a plastic container and possibly an unhealthy sugary beverage.
“Now, they will be able to refill their own bottle or grab a quick drink of free and healthy water”.
Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, the council’s cabinet member for finance and leisure, said: “As a keen runner myself, and also a dad with kids who like playing in our parks, I know how priceless it can be to have access to a drink of water.
“I’m delighted the council’s parks service was able to work with EHM Legacy to make this fountain happen.
“EHM Legacy does a lot of good work within the community to help the borough’s campaign for us all to Get Moving and this is a great addition to help encourage people to use our parks.”
