During March, Basildon Council launched a social media competition for residents to share their best photo taken in our borough’s parks and open spaces.
The competition came as part of the council’s Rediscovering Your Parks campaign, recognising the huge benefits they have had throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and how beneficial they remain for residents moving forwards.
The campaign aimed to rejuvenate people’s appreciation for our open spaces, through storytelling to uncover hidden gems, celebrating what our borough has to offer, and publicising new physical activity initiatives in our parks.
The parks competition closed on 16 April, and the three winners of the competition were selected by the council’s Chief Executive, Scott Logan.
The first-place prize went to Dani Nebres, who won a £100 local garden centre voucher for his picture overlooking the lake at Gloucester Park. The two runners up, Megan Belcher and Susie Dupey, both won a bag of the wildflower seed mix sown across our borough’s roundabouts.
Competition winner Dani Nebres, said: “We are so lucky to have Gloucester Park on our doorstep, the park is such a wonderful place to walk and watch the wildlife. It is calming and great for one’s mental health. And if you are lucky, nature puts on a spectacular display like the one in the photo and all you have to do is sit back, relax, take a photo and enjoy it!”
Chief Executive of Basildon Council, Scott Logan, said: “We’re blessed with fantastic parks and open spaces in the borough, and this competition was an opportunity for our residents to be the ones showing us that, rather than us telling them.
“The comment section with all the competition entrees is a great showcase of our parks, and shows how utilised and valued they are to our residents. Congratulations to the three winners, and it was nice to meet the first placed winner Dani this afternoon at our brilliant Gloucester Park.
“We want residents to continue visiting our parks safely with the easing of lockdown measures, as they’re brilliant places to unwind, to socialise, and most importantly have fun.”
