Cassiobury Park has welcomed new improvements that make the park more inclusive and help expand the use of its popular community facilities...
Two new picnic benches that are fully accessible for wheelchair users have been installed in the park, thanks to funding from ASDA through a grant awarded to Friends of Cassiobury. The project has been supported by Watford Borough Council through its Neighbourhood Grant, which also funded the installation of a new tarmac pad to ensure safe and easy access to the benches.
In addition, £20,000 has been awarded through the Neighbourhood Grant programme for the Cassiobury Park Hub Community Space Acoustic Enhancement project. The investment aims to broaden the range of activities that can take place at the hub and improve the experience for everyone who uses it.
The project has seen sound-absorbing panels installed on walls and ceilings, alongside new planters made from sound-absorbing materials. These improvements will make the space more pleasant and inviting, improve sound quality in the education room and community areas, and reduce noise from the café. The scheme also includes the purchase of moveable noise-absorbing screens, allowing the space to be adapted for a wide variety of bookings and uses.
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “These new accessible picnic benches are a simple but important improvement, helping ensure that everyone can enjoy Cassiobury Park. This along with investment in improving the Cassiobury Park Hub, show our commitment to inclusion and to making our community spaces work for more people, more of the time.”
Rachel Griffin, Community and Customer Champion at Asda, said: “At ASDA, we’re proud to support local projects that bring communities together. Funding these accessible picnic benches is a great way to help ensure Cassiobury Park can be enjoyed by as many people as possible.”
Rebecca Fatharly, Communications and Marketing Officer at Watford Mencap, said: “Our Day Opportunities members love visiting Cassiobury Park, especially being able to sit together, enjoy the fresh air and watch the world go by. Having accessible picnic benches makes a real difference to how comfortably and confidently people we support can spend time in the park.”
One of the Day Opportunities members said, ‘I love going to Cassiobury Park because it feels calm when I go for a walk and I can sit with my friends.'
Steve Jackman, Chair of the Friends of Cassiobury Park, said: “We’re really pleased to see both the new accessible benches and the improvements for the park hub. Enhancing the space so it can be used more widely by the community will make a real difference for visitors and local groups alike.”
The 2026 to 2027 Neighbourhood Grant programme will open in summer 2026. However, you can email NCIL@watford.gov.uk if you have any questions. For further information on other community grants, please visit www.watford.gov.uk/community.
