Mental Health Awareness Week 2025: Welcoming our community to Springfield Park
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week this year is community, and what better way to celebrate than by showcasing our 32-acre community asset located at the heart of Springfield Village in Tooting.
Following the opening of the first 19 acres in 2023, this year we will be welcoming the community to the remaining 13 acres, which feature a pavilion café, amphitheatre, youth shelter, further play and exercise areas, a sensory garden, and much more.
In addition to its role as a space for community wellbeing, gatherings, and events, the park has important green credentials. As well as adding to local biodiversity, the park has meant that no waste was taken off-site following the development of Springfield Village, as it’s all being reused in the park. The amphitheatre is being built using reclaimed brick from the construction of Springfield Village, while the ‘attenuation ponds’ are a sustainable rainwater collection system. With hundreds of sustainably sourced trees and plants and four acres of wild grass and flowers, the park is also a haven for wildlife.
Calling the park home are a range of geese, mallard ducks, heron and coots , as well as common frogs and toads. We have spotted parakeets, dragonflies, ladybirds, butterflies, and various types of bees and a wealth of creepy crawlies. The park is packed with a variety of trees, plants and flowers to look forward to during the spring and summer months.
To make your time in the park more interesting and work a few more muscles, the park has several exercise areas made up of different pieces of equipment that can be used to develop balance, strength and coordination.
You will also find three activity areas with stepping stones, climbing rocks and balancing beams for a fun outdoor workout! The locations of the activity and exercise areas (and spots for a rest afterwards) are highlighted on a map .
The Trust - and our Village Partners - are looking forward to inviting staff, patients and members of our community to a special event to celebrate the opening of the park later this summer. More information will be shared soon.
Springfield Village is a new mixed-use community in Tooting made up of state-of-the-art mental health facilities, over 800 new homes, shops, a public square and a 32- acre park. The village has been designed to break down barriers, reduce the stigma around mental illness and open the Springfield site for the benefit of the community.
