The Easton Community Group has been up and running for seven years and has 30 very committed members who are working tirelessly to ensure that the gardens are at the centre of village life.

The group is chaired by local resident, Ted Payne, who is assisted by Secretary/Treasurer, June Morley, and committee members Alf Bonner, Bob Cornock, Liz Babb and Pat Bolt.

picture of a stall at a fete which is selling framed prints. There is a lady in Victorian clothing at the front of the stall, and other people in costume behind it. A man is taking a picture of them.

7 children in fancy dress. There are pirates and mermaids. One child is holding a box of chocolates.
 

The group received a £15,000 Living Spaces grant to carry out restoration and improvement works within the Gardens. They've also received a number of contributions from Court Leet, Portland Rotary Club, ITV Westcountry, the former Weymouth & Portland Borough Council and Albion Stone for various projects.

Green flag

The residents of Easton can be proud of their gardens as they maintain a 'garden of excellence' status for the third year running. The Community Group have been working in partnership with the former Borough Council for a number of years and together have achieved this nationally recognised Green Flag Award. Portland parks have now transferred to Portland Town Council.

Projects and improvements

Below are some examples of the type of projects and improvements that have been funded by the Easton Community Group;

  • new railings around the play area were installed and plants for the flowerbeds
  • re-painting of the Monkey Hut
  • a new basketball backboard and net
  • new gates have been installed onto the two main entranceways into the gardens and these have been funded by Easton Community Group, Court Leet and Portland Rotary Club
  • new welcome signs, new notice board, recycling bin and an interpretation panel were also installed
  • path networks in the gardens were upgraded
  • cleaning of all the stone work in the gardens was carried out
  • additional shrub planting around the toilet block was carried out
  • the Property Services Section arranged for the installation of new CCTV cameras
  • the Property Services Section has purchased new Christmas lights for the trees in the gardens

Volunteer Projects

A youth group 'doing good' projects saw half a dozen teenagers give up their free time in the summer holidays to paint some of the play equipment in Easton Gardens. This project received regional TV coverage.

Events

There are number of events held in the gardens, from Royal Manor Workshops and Barnardos 'Summer Fun in the Park' event to regular summer fayres.

Contact

For further information please contact Portland Town Council