A free community fun day will be held in Erith on Saturday 30 August, to celebrate the completion of the newly refurbished Riverside Gardens and the opening of a new community space on Pier Road called 68.

Everyone is welcome to come along to Riverside Gardens on Erith High Street and to 68 Pier Road (DA8 1BA) from 11am until 3pm. Enjoy free face painting, food demonstrations, arts and crafts and a bouncy castle. You can also join in with the gardening activities that our volunteers at Friends of Riverside Gardens Erith FORGE will be leading, or go on one of the organised architectural walks. If you’ve got a pair of binoculars, why not bring them along and join a bird-watching tour?  

Cllr Munur, Bexley’s Cabinet Member for Place Shaping, said:

We’ve transformed the Riverside Gardens to make the most of its riverside location and we’ve created a new community space at 68 Pier Road for local people. The free fun day is a chance for everyone, but particularly those living in Erith, to come together and enjoy them. We know that Erith has a lot more potential and we want it to thrive as a place to live and do business”.

The transformed Riverside Gardens bring residents and visitors closer to the River Thames with a ‘Thames promenade route’ running the length of the gardens, new seating, a playground and outdoor fitness zone, as well as a community gardening area.

The new community space named ‘68’ by the public will be operated by the charity GCDA. It features a kitchen, a hireable events area and meeting rooms, plus a Changing Places toilet facility and also has an indoor courtyard that can be used for outdoor events and for local people to meet and relax in.

Riverside Gardens and 68 Pier Road are a key part of the broader Erith Regeneration Programme, which also includes work on Walnut Tree Road for pedestrians and vehicles and further improvements in Erith High Street. All of the improvements are being delivered by the Greater Erith Regeneration programme at the London Borough of Bexley and are funded by the Council, the Mayor of London and UKSPF.

To find out more, go to the Greater Erith website.