Mayor pledges support for Myatt’s Fields Big Park Sleepover

Big Park Sleepover in Myatt's FieldsFather Nature, a Brixton-based community gardening enterprise, is teaming up with the Myatt’s Fields Park Project and local army cadets together they hope to raise £18,000 by 1 August to run a “Big Park Sleepover”. The charity is appealing for support through crowd­funding as well as sponsorship from local businesses. Find out more.

The event would be an overnight camping mini-­festival, for local  low income and local families in Myatt’s Fields Park, due to be held on 28 and 29 August.

The campaign has so far attracted 112 backers and raised £9,851 of a £18,947 total. London mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged £7,500 from the Mayor’s Fund.

Organisers said: “Father Nature went to pitch for a pledge at City Hall with the other 20 finalists in the Mayor of London’s crowdfunding programme and did Lambeth proud, with Cllr Jacqui Dyer there giving her support.

“There are now another four parks in London asking to join in the Big Park Sleepover for 2017 so it looks like our idea might just take off. The Mayor’s pledge is a real stamp of approval for our project and we hope, a real sign to local businesses that they should get on board and back the Sleepover.”

Father Nature says the Sleepover would provide up to 100 low income and local families with a chance to have some respite from the hectic nature of city life.

“We only have another £7-9,000 to raise thanks to the Mayor, but if we don’t hit our target by 1  August, we get nothing and the Sleepover is off!”