BEFORE YOU GO
Running (and
walking) water
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.
I
t 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. The
aim is to encourage people to get active
outdoors – and will also help reduce
30
around ealing February 2019
the use of plastic and the
consumption of sugary drinks,
especially by children.
Its positioning puts it directly next
to the start-line of the monthly Ealing
Mile, an event funded and organised by
EHM Legacy. It 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 was
due to take place on 1 February. Lammas
Park is also where the award-winning
Ealing Half Marathon starts and finishes.
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 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.”
The drinking fountain 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.
Read more about the Ealing
Mile, and how to take part, at
ealingnewsextra.co.uk/features/
ealing-mile