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ActiveCommunities

Help protect Westminster’s parks and green spaces during the hot weather

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Help protect Westminster's parks and green spaces during the hot weather

With hot, dry weather increasing the risk of grass fires, ActiveWestminster is reminding everyone to take extra care when visiting any parks and green spaces across Westminster, including Sayers Croft (London and Surrey locations).

LFB working on putting down a fire.

Even a small spark can quickly spread through dry grass and vegetation, putting people, wildlife, buildings and outdoor spaces at risk.

If you’re spending time outdoors, please help keep our parks and facilities safe by:

  • Do not light BBQs, campfires or any open flames in parks or outdoor spaces.
  • Dispose of cigarettes and matches safely, ensuring they are completely extinguished.
  • Take your litter home if bins are full, particularly glass bottles, which can contribute to fire risk.
  • Never leave disposable BBQs or hot coals behind.
  • If you see a fire, move to a safe place and call 999 immediately.

By taking a few simple precautions, everyone can help protect Westminster’s parks, outdoor facilities and green spaces, ensuring they remain safe for everyone to enjoy throughout the summer.

For more information and fire safety advice, visit the London Fire Brigade’s guidance on grass and wildfires on the link below.

Read LFB Advice

Your Way to Getting Active: SFC Connect in Westminster

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Your Way to Getting Active: SfC Connect in Westminster

Launching this August, SfC Connect is a free Westminster service providing personalised support for residents facing health conditions, disability, loneliness or major life changes. Referrals are open now.

OT helping a user
SFC Connect service offers the support of Occupational Therapists in every step.

Support tailored to the individual

SfC Connect is a new early help service from Sport for Confidence CIC, in partnership with Everyone Active and Active Westminster. Occupational therapists work with each person to understand their goals and barriers, then build a personalised plan to help them reconnect with activity, people and community.

Available at three of our Westminster Leisure Centres

Meeting people where they need

Not every barrier to activity is visible, and that’s exactly what this service is designed to address. For some residents, the challenge has nothing to do with fitness levels or ability; it’s more personal than that, and that first step can be the hardest part of the whole journey. Ultimately, this is about making sure activity feels accessible to everyone, not just those who already feel comfortable getting started, and it reflects a wider ambition building a borough where residents feel genuinely supported, not just catered to.

Working together for Westminster

Hear from key partners and the Cabinet Member as they share why SfC Connect is an important step in helping more Westminster residents become active, improve their wellbeing and access personalised support when they need it most.

A practical, resident-focused step toward more connected communities.
Councillor Robert Rigby
Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Civic Pride
Barriers to activity aren't always obvious — sometimes it's confidence, anxiety, or simply not knowing where to start.
Robert Walker
Senior Occupational Therapist, Sport for Confidence
Some residents need a little extra support to walk through the door — this service is designed to help them do exactly that.
Nicole Fox
Health and Activity Manager, Everyone Active
We want every resident to enjoy the benefits of being active, whatever their circumstances.
Max Goodchild
Relationship Manager, ActiveWestminster

Referrals are now open ahead of the August launch. You can refer yourself or be referred by a healthcare professional or partner organisation.

Make a Referral Now

The Folks At Barnsdale Street Showed Up And Showed Out

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  • News Post

The Folks At Barnsdale Street Showed Up And Showed Out For Launch Day

The street was ours, and Barnsdale Street turned it into pure magic. Bikes, scooters, games and grins as far as the eye could see, with neighbours old and new coming together for an afternoon that felt like a proper community celebration. This is exactly what Street Plays are all about.

The street was ours and residents made the most of it.

From confident new riders taking on Cycle Confident’s guidance, to families getting active together with Happy Lizzy, to bikes getting a free tune-up from Dr Bike – every corner of the street had something going on. Neighbours chatting on doorsteps. Kids making new friends over a game of tag. Parents catching up while the little ones burned off some energy. THIS is what happens when you give a community room to breathe and be free.

And the best bit? This isn’t a one-off.
Barnsdale Road Play Street is on every Tuesday, 4-6pm, all summer long.

So grab your bike, your scooter, your neighbours, your kids and family and come claim the street again next week. See you there! 

Want this on your street too?

Barnsdale Street is just one of the streets bringing play back to the neighbourhood as part of Westminster’s Active Streets programme, an initiative that closes roads to traffic and opens them up to community, connection and fun.

If you’d love to see your own street transformed like this, find out how to get involved and bring more play to your road by clicking on the button below.

Start Your Own Play Street

Four Olympics, One Big Throw: Ashley Mckenzie Brings Judo Magic to St Augustine’s Primary School

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Four Olympics, One Big Throw: Ashley Mckenzie Brings Judo Magic to St Augustine's

A four-time Olympian rocks up, throws the head of department around the hall, and suddenly Year 7 can’t stop talking about judo. This was Friday 10th July, courtesy of ActiveWestminster Champion of the Future Athlete and Ambassador Ashley Mckenzie.

Two St Augustine's Female students trying out Judo moves
AW CotF Ashley Mckenzie talking to the kids at St Augustine's
AW CotF & Ambassador Ashley Mckenzie watching the children trying the Judo moves he demod
Ashley Mckenzie & St Augustine's Deputy head doing a judo demo
AW CotF & Ambassador Ashley Mckenzie talk at St Austine's Primary School
St Augustine's children practicing judo

From pupil to Olympian and back again. Ashley Mckenzie brought judo home to St Augustine’s.

A medal collection that does the talking

And this isn’t just any judoka. Ashley’s record speaks for itself:

  • 60kg category
  • 4 x Olympian
  • 2 x Commonwealth Games gold medallist
  • 5 x British Open Champion
  • 2 x bronze medallist, European Senior Championships
  • Gold & Silver, European U23 Championships

Ashley isn’t some distant sporting superstar the kids only ever see on TV, either. He’s local, and he’s one of their own: Ashley actually attended St Augustine’s himself. Same corridors, same halls, same neighbourhood. That’s what made his visit land so hard: this wasn’t a celebrity dropping in for a photo op, it was a former pupil coming back to show them what’s possible.

An unfiltered, hands-on journey

Ashley didn’t just give the Year 7 students a polite chat and leave, he gave them his whole journey, unfiltered. The early starts, the setbacks, the grit it takes to go from a kid on a judo mat to a four-time Olympian. Honest, funny, no fluff and the room was hooked from minute one.

Then he had them up and moving. Grips, throws, real moves – Ashley walked the students through it all and got them trying it themselves. Cue plenty of laughter, a few “wait, how did you do that?!” moments, and a hall full of kids suddenly convinced they might have Olympic potential of their own. The highlight: a live demo alongside Deputy Head and former judoka Andy Whent, giving students a front-row look at elite technique in action — a hip throw hits different when it’s happening two metres away.

Nice full-circle touch too: Executive Headteacher Mr Moriarty actually taught Ashley back in the day. Part Olympic visit, part homecoming, part reunion.

Personable, candid, and thoroughly down to earth, Ashley went down an absolute treat – and left a hall full of future judokas in his wake.

Every champion starts somewhere

Ashley started right here, in the same streets and the same schools as these kids. That’s the whole point of Champions of the Future: local talent, backed to go all the way. Check out the Champions of the Future page to find out more about the programme and see if you or someone you know could be next.

Explore Champions of the Future

Summer Just Got Serious: FREE Sports & Play Sessions Land at 291 Harrow Road!

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Summer Just Got Serious: FREE Sports & Play Sessions Land at 291 Harrow Road!

Grab your trainers, your family, and your friends – the MUGA on Elmfield Way is the go-to spot for fun, movement and community this summer, and every single session is FREE. No sign-up, no fees, just turn up and get active!

Flyer showing programme details and schedule
Full details are in the flyer above. Don't miss out on your favourite session!

This much-loved games area behind 291 Harrow Road has been a community favourite for years, and before it makes way for an exciting new all-weather play space as part of the site’s redevelopment, they’re throwing a summer to remember. So head down and make the most of it whist it’s still there!

What’s On 

From basketball and walking football to family cycling sessions, a young people’s club, and dance, there’s something for every age and every energy level, running across Monday to Friday.

Get It While It’s Here

This MUGA has always been more than just a games area. It’s where local kids learn to ride their first bike, where neighbours become friends over a football match, and where young people find their rhythm on the dance floor. As part of the wider redevelopment of the site, the space will close in Spring 2027 to make way for demolition and construction of a brand-new, high-quality play space that will be handed back to the community once complete.

That means this summer is your last chance to enjoy the MUGA as it is,  so grab it while you can, before something even better takes its place.

Play. Move. Grow.

Whether you’re 5 or 75, there’s something on this timetable for you. Come along, try something new, meet your neighbours, and stay active all summer long.

Full timetable, times and age groups are all on the flyer — keep an eye out for posters on the playground fence too.

Questions? Get in touch: 291harrowroad@westminster.gov.uk

See you at the MUGA – let’s make this the best summer yet!

291 Harrow Road Summer Programme is brought to you by Active Westminster and City of Westminster.

Making Waves for Inclusion: WeSwim Comes to Queens Park

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Making Waves for Inclusion: WeSwim Comes to Queens Park

A safe, supportive space in the water is now open to disabled adults in Queens Park. WeSwim’s award-winning, friendly swimming sessions prove that staying active should be for everyone. ActiveWestminster is proud to help make a splash for inclusion.

Promotional flyer for WeSwim disability sessions at Moberly Sports Centre with a blue rectangle at the top and image of a disabled participant and swim instructor inset and a white background at the bottom with details in black text
Championing inclusion, one stroke at a time. Scan the QR code and find out more about WeSwim's accessible sessions at Moberly Sports Centre.

Championing Inclusion, Together

At ActiveWestminster, inclusion isn’t an afterthought, it’s at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on WeSwim, an award-winning charity delivering friendly, supported swimming sessions for disabled adults across London, now running weekly at Moberly Sports Centre in Queens Park.

What’s On Offer

WeSwim’s Disability Community Swimming sessions offer a gentle, welcoming way to stay active, build confidence and connect with others, with 1:1 support from trained volunteers in the water every step of the way.

Session Details

  • Location: Moberly Sports Centre, Queens Park
  • When: Mondays, 6.15pm–7.30pm
  • Cost: £3 per session
  • Who for: Disabled adults (physical, sensory and/or learning disabilities)

The Impact

The impact speaks for itself. In a recent survey, 98.6% of WeSwim swimmers said they felt safe, and 96.8% felt more connected to their community. For many, it’s not just about swimming, it’s about confidence, rehab, gentle exercise and a genuine sense of belonging.

Together, we can make Queens Park and Westminster a more active, inclusive place for everyone. 

Take The Plunge & Sign Up Now