Jodie Chesney: Residents plant purple flowers in Harold Hill park for Dagenham 17-year-old
Local residents and staff from B&Q planting purple flowers in memory of murder victim Jodie Chesney in Amy's Park. - Credit: Archant
Purple flowers have been planted in memory of Jodie Chesney in the park where she was stabbed to death.
Local residents and staff from B&Q planting purple flowers in memory of murder victim Jodie Chesney in Amy's Park. - Credit: Archant
Friends of Amy’s Park, a Facebook group set up to remember Jodie, gathered residents on Wednesday, March 13 to plant the flowers.
Jodie, of Dagenham, was found stabbed in Amy’s Park, St Neot’s Road, Harold Hill on the evening of Friday, March 1.
She died the same evening.
Tracy Hampton, who runs Friends of Amy’s Park, came up with the idea to create a lasting memorial in the park and her husband Peter helped organise flower donations from B&Q.
Local residents and staff from B&Q planting purple flowers in memory of murder victim Jodie Chesney in Amy's Park. - Credit: Archant
Lacey, who runs the Take a Knife Save a Life campaign, told the Recorder: “It was absolutely fantastic.
“B&Q said they would supply plants to maintain [the memorial] so that it will be in constant bloom.
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“The park is quite a dreary place and with what has happened lingering over it, I think it casts quite a dark cloud over the park.”
Lacey wants Amy’s Park to become a safe place and is working with the council to make permanent changes to the area.
“We’re hoping to get planning permission to redo the park,” said Lacey from Harold Hill.
“We want to make a lot of the apparatus and some of the flooring purple with a ribbon design for Jodie.
“Having that visual in the park is really important and it gets the community involved.”
Friends of Amy’s Park is appealing for anyone who might be able to help provide lighting in and around the park.
“We’re trying to make this a place to bring young people,” said the mother-of-four.
“When the incident happened I spoke to residents who said they didn’t actually see what happened due to restricted lighting.”
Friends of Amy’s Park has many plans to tackle knife crime, including joining forces with Streetwatch and signing a petition for a march on March 30.
Speaking about her Take a Knife, Save a Life campaign, she said: “I’ve had so much response, it’s been so phenomenal.
“Knife crime is rife all over the country and we need to stand together to fight against it.”
