Park activities

Information on park activities including horse riding, fishing and football pitch hire.

Barking junior parkrun

Junior parkrun is a free, fun, friendly, weekly, community event organised by volunteers of all ages for children aged 4 to 14. 

The 2k junior parkrun events take place every Sunday morning at 9am in the UK, Ireland and Australia. It is a great introduction for all the family to be physically active outside together on the weekend. Walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate with us, taking part is easy and it’s for everyone!

Your local event is Barking junior parkrun. A 2-lap course all on paths, all flat terrain. The start line is near the Splash Zone doing a small clockwise loop then 2 anticlockwise loops around the east side of the park (side closest to Barking Abbey School), finishing back near the entrance of the Splash Zone. You can find out more on the Barking junior parkrun website.

Barking junior parkrun poster (PDF, 1.12 MB)

Join as a volunteer

You can also join as a volunteer and enjoy the uplifting atmosphere, even if you’re not a parent or a grandparent. From marshalling to timekeeping, volunteering at junior parkrun is a fantastic way to meet new people, stay active, and contribute to something truly special. If you are interested in volunteering, please email the event team at barkingjuniors@parkrun.com

Register

If this is your first junior parkrun or parkrun, please register for free here:

Register for the parkrun

Horse riding

Horse riding within the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham is only permitted in Eastbrookend Country Park and The Chase Local Nature Reserve however The Chase Local Nature Reserve is limited to horses and riders from Eastminster School of Riding, including their liveries under a licence agreement. 

This is for several reasons:

  • to manage horse numbers on the park and prevent damage to footpaths
  • ensure any issues with horses i.e. damage or injury to the public could be directly traced back to Hooks Hall Farm (Eastminster School of Riding) who are fully insured
  • to stop the risk of highly infectious equine diseases (such as equine flu, strangles) infecting the riding school horses.

Find out more on the Barking and Dagenham Country Parks website

Fishing

There are several places within the borough where fishing is permitted.

Before planning a fishing trip here is some useful information:

  • you’ll need an Environment Agency rod licence before you can fish anywhere in the UK. It is against the law to fish without one and a maximum fine of £2,500 can be imposed
  • if you want to fish with more than 2 rods, you need 2 rod licences
  • a rod licence can be obtained from your local post office or from the Environment Agency
  • it’s your responsibility to check that fishing is permitted where you are planning to visit. If you’re found to be fishing in a prohibited area you can be prosecuted for poaching and a breach of the local bylaws
  • to fish in the borough you must have barbless hooks, a landing net and an unhooking mat

There are 2 different types of fishery in the borough:

Day ticket fisheries

Membership only lakes

  • Bardag Lake - Eastbrookend Country Park managed by Bardag Angling Society
  • Bowyers Lake - Beam Valley Country Park managed by Becontree & District Angling Club

All other lakes and waters in the borough are not managed as fisheries, and therefore no fishing is allowed on them.

If you are unsure of your right to fish or have any queries please contact the Ranger Service.

Fishing in Barking and Dagenham

Football pitch hire

If you would like to enquire about availability, or speak to someone about booking a pitch, please email PitchBookings@lbbd.gov.uk.  Office hours are Monday to Wednesday. We are field based so may not respond immediately.