Events, activities and fundraising have been important ways in which CPUG has brought people together and supported Clissold Park over the years.

Our surviving records include family activities, guided walks, music, talks, anniversary celebrations, quizzes, stalls, clean-ups and participation in events such as World Cleanup Day. CPUG has also raised money through events, merchandise and appeals and used its funds to support activities and practical projects in the park.

As a volunteer group, what CPUG can organise depends on the time, skills and support of its members. Some activities have become established successes, while other ideas and fundraising campaigns have not reached their goals.

World Cleanup Day

CPUG has taken part in World Cleanup Day for three consecutive years, bringing volunteers together to collect litter and help care for Clissold Park.

The group first participated in 2024. During that year’s event, the Estonian Ambassador visited Clissold Park, reflecting the origins of World Cleanup Day in Estonia.

CPUG participated again in 2025 and 2026, making the event a recurring part of the group’s programme of practical activities and providing another way for people to volunteer and contribute directly to the park.

Activities for children and families

Organising activities was already part of CPUG’s work when our surviving records begin.

In 2002 CPUG supported park walks funded through Discover Hackney. From 2003 the group developed a programme of school-holiday activities for children, followed by Summer Fun and the Big Draw in Clissold House and the park.

By 2006, however, the records show that finding enough volunteers to sustain the summer programme was becoming difficult. This is a recurring feature of CPUG’s history: ideas and activities have depended on what a relatively small group of volunteers has had the capacity to organise.

Celebrating Clissold Park

Some of CPUG’s largest activities have marked important moments in the history of the park.

In 2013 the group celebrated the 400th anniversary of the New River with activities and events.

The following year CPUG helped mark Clissold Park’s 125th anniversary with a family celebration in the park, historical photograph recreations and other activities. The anniversary year also included the restoration of the Beck and Runtz Memorial Fountain, combining fundraising, heritage and a practical project in the park.

CPUG has continued to use events as a way of helping people discover more about Clissold Park and its history.

Representing park users around events

CPUG’s involvement with events has not only been about organising its own activities. The group has also represented park users and neighbouring residents when larger events have taken place in Clissold Park.

In 2016, for example, CPUG was involved in discussions with Hackney Council about the impact of the annual DayMer Festival. Then chair Caroline Millar explained that the group had worked with the Council over several years to reduce disruption to people living near the park while recognising the importance of established community events.

This reflects CPUG’s wider role as a forum where different views about how Clissold Park is used can be raised and discussed.

Music, talks and community events

Talks and heritage activities have brought people into Clissold House. In 2015 CPUG hosted a sold-out talk by Ken Worpole and welcomed hundreds of visitors to its historical displays during Open House.

In 2016 the group organised two free summer concerts, with CPUG contributing funds towards the events.

In September that year, CPUG Park History Representative Amir Dotan gave talks about the campaign that saved Clissold Park from development in the 1880s, drawing on his research into the archive of Joseph Beck, who chaired the campaign. CPUG volunteers also led heritage tours during Open House, with the group reporting around 250 participants.

Summer music continued in 2017.

Other activities in subsequent years have included guided tree and ecology walks, bat walks, birdwatching and events connected with CPUG’s growing work on biodiversity and Nature Recovery.

Raising funds

Fundraising has allowed CPUG to organise activities and contribute towards projects without suggesting that a volunteer group can or should pay for the ordinary management of a Council-owned park.

During the 2010s CPUG developed a new visual identity and sold items including postcards and an illustrated map of Clissold Park. These combined fundraising with providing information and promoting the park.

Quizzes have also been a recurring source of income. In 2016, for example, CPUG’s annual quiz generated just over £1,000 in net income according to the group’s accounts.

In 2017 a Wellness Day raised funds. Not every fundraising initiative succeeded, however. A crowdfunding appeal that year for additional swings raised £1,020 in pledges against a target of £8,793 and did not go ahead.

Funding projects in the park

CPUG has used money raised and donated to the group to support a range of projects.

In 2022 CPUG funded new hedging along the Church Street boundary of the park and contributed £650 towards the Healthy Minds Healthy Bods community walks programme.

More recent expenditure has included lavender planting, bird nesting boxes and wildlife ramps, alongside events and other activities. These are relatively modest projects compared with the Council’s responsibility for maintaining the park, but they show how CPUG can use its funds to support additional initiatives.

Events as a way to involve park users

Events are also an opportunity for CPUG to meet people who may never attend one of our public meetings.

At the FreeWheelin Feastival in 2024, CPUG ran a stall where 329 people responded to a survey and 20 people joined the group.

Activities such as walks, wildlife events, litter picks and cycling events similarly provide opportunities for people to participate in CPUG’s work while doing something practical or learning more about the park.

Fundraising for a defibrillator

In 2025 CPUG began raising money towards a defibrillator for Clissold Park.

A fundraising quiz and auction formed an important part of the campaign, alongside other fundraising activity.

The project continued into 2026, when the defibrillator was installed on the Splash Pad building.

The project is a recent example of CPUG fundraising for a specific facility intended to benefit people using Clissold Park.

A continuing part of our work

Events, activities and fundraising have taken many different forms over the years, from children’s Summer Fun and anniversary celebrations to music, quizzes, guided walks, wildlife activities and practical projects.

They are also closely connected with other areas of CPUG’s work. A bat walk forms part of our work on nature and wildlife; a historical event can support our heritage work; and money raised at a quiz can help fund a project or facility.

Together, these activities provide ways for people to participate in CPUG beyond attending meetings, while fundraising allows the group to support additional projects and activities in Clissold Park.