Broomhill Park and open green space has been growing in strength since May 2018 when the Friends of Broomhill finally fulfilled their ten-year dream of purchasing The Old Orchard. Work to clear the paths and glades started last year and will continue into the foreseeable future, and the area is now accessible for many Park users and provides a quiet and relaxed environment for residents and visitors.

The hard work of Friends of Broomhill was celebrated at the Focus on Strood event on Saturday, where the Friends provided a walking tour of the Old Orchard.

The event was also an opportunity to pay tribute to the late Bob Wade who, alongside Stephen Hubbard, was instrumental in forming the Friends of Broomhill.

Cllr Stephen Hubbard, Medway Labour and Co-operative Councillor for Strood North said, ‘The “Focus on Strood” event on Saturday 14 Sept was very much family oriented – with fun and stalls for all ages. It was also a celebration of Broomhill Park which keeps going from strength to strength, with improvements and expansion.

‘I have such pride to see the current success of the park, which is driven by the Friends of Broomhill working closely with Medway Council.

‘I was one of the two founding members of the Friends; back in 2005 the late great Bob Wade and I met to discuss his new job within the council Greenspaces department and our joint aspirations for Broomhill Park. Bob some years before had been part of the team that had created the park. While I as a council appointed Director the Groundwork Medway Swale, in the early 2000s, had spearheaded a study of greenspaces across the Medway Towns & Swale that were worthy of investment.

‘By the end of that meeting we had come up plan for setting up the friends, what we felt could be achieved with the Park & Old Orchard, and with the strapline “It’s Your Park” still used today by the Friends.’