Inclusive Dagenham Sports Space Nominated for Prestigious Award
A transformative and inclusive activity space in one of the capital's most deprived areas has been nominated for a prestigious award. Beam Park MUGA (multi-use games area) is a vibrant, free-to-access community sports space set in what was the Ford car plant in Dagenham, which closed in 2002 after 70 years of activity.
In a joint venture between L&Q and Countryside Partnerships, the derelict site has since been transformed into a new community including 4,000 homes, 17 acres of open space, an NHS medical centre and two primary schools. L&Q have now been nominated in the Active Environment Award category at the 2026 London Sport Awards, which are to be held on April 29 at the iconic Guildhall.
Community Impact and Design
Siobhan Haigh, Community Development Lead at L&Q, explained the thoughtful placement of the MUGA: “The MUGA itself is set underneath a flyover. It was put there intentionally as without it there, the area is dark and it might have been a hotspot for anti-social behaviour or kids to hang out. Putting the MUGA where it is means that what could have been a negative space has become a positive space.”
She added: “It brings the community together, it is used for children to play and people to interact. It is somewhere where people are supposed to come and hang out. You can play basketball, ride your bike, play football – it opens up a wealth of opportunities to people in the area that weren’t there before. The feedback has been extremely positive. It is sheltered, so it can be used in all weathers. Even when it is a little bit windy or rainy, children can still play outside.”
Inclusive Programming
The space is used to hold circuit fitness sessions on a Saturday morning while netball markings are soon to be added following feedback from residents. It is all aimed at making the space available to the entire community, as L&Q’s Activity Programme Manager Liana Brown described: “Typically, a MUGA would attract teenage boys but this is a much more inclusive space. We have the Saturday morning sessions and overall, it has more of a family and community feel. There are table tennis tables too, and there is a really great mural created with local artists.”
Brown, who hails from Newham, was inspired to put forward a London Sport Awards nomination after attending the 2025 ceremony and is delighted to see L&Q recognised. “It’s massive for us,” she said. “It was lovely to be part of it last year and hear about other projects around London. I guess I had a bit of yearning. I thought ‘we do good stuff, we should also be nominated’, so I was determined to submit some applications for this year. To be shortlisted is amazing and makes us really proud. It is so exciting to watch this development grow and build opportunities around community cohesion and making neighbourhoods nice places to live. We want people to lead healthy, fulfilling lives and we are excited to do more.”
London Sport is a charity that helps all Londoners live longer, healthier and happier lives through being active. The London Sport Awards, supported by the City of London Corporation, shines a spotlight on the capital’s unsung heroes who are helping Londoners lead more physically active lives.
