The Restoration of South Park

The South Park restoration is now complete. In the past two years we have

Removed 1.6 million gallons of water from the lake
Removed 550 truck loads of silt
Rebuilt the rose garden and rockery
Rebuilt the lake and boardwalks
Created new sensory garden
Built a new play area
Planted over 1,400 trees
Restored the bandstand
Installed 80 new benches and bins
Upgraded the gardeners compound
Renovated the aviaries
Built a skate park
Built an education centre
Demolished the old toilet block and installed new public toilets at the clocktower lodge
Restored all entrances and railings
Fully restored the cafe
Restored and relocated the Fothergill Fountain
Created a new sensory garden with a water feature
Restored the terracotta fountain

Restoration DVD

A freelance producer and filmmaker called Michael Bell has produced a DVDof the restoration project, this is available to buy from the The Clocktower Lodge. A number of video clips about the restoration can be viewed on the video clips page.

Prisoners making a positive contribution

As part of the Restorative Justice initiative the North East Restorative Community Partnership (NERCP) were working with South Park staff to look at what items in the park could be produced from inside the prisons in the region. Giving prisoners the chance to make a positive impact on the outside community is a key element in the whole restorative justice programme. The partnership between the eight prisons in the North East and South Park is being facilitated by the Inside Out Trust and the NERCP.

Inmates at HMP Frankland in Durham have made all of the furniture for 'Outside In', the new education centre and inmates at HMP Acklington have made 200 foldaway bandstand chairs for use at musical events when the new bandstand is open.