Here’s why locals are kicking off about the state of Finsbury Park

Ever wanted to take part in a Tough Mudder, the race where you squelch your way through an assault course and a 10k run, drenched in mud, for fun? We’re not all that sure if we fancy it, but each to their own. 

The notoriously messy event took place at Finsbury Park this weekend, but locals aren’t happy about the state the park has been left in. Vast patches of grass were left churned up and covered in sloppy mud, which the Friends of Finsbury Park charity said has left the green space ‘unusable for a good while’. 

The volunteer-run group took to Twitter to say it was ‘devastated’ by the effects the event had on the park. ‘The damage is considerable, covers most of the park and will make lots of the park unusable for a good while,’ it tweeted. 

David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, said he was ‘appalled’ and called the destruction of the park an ‘environmental disgrace’.

‘I have nothing against @Toughmudder but Finsbury Park is an inner city urban park and the damage done is an environmental disgrace,’ he wrote on Twitter. ‘There are serious questions about how and why this licence was granted, enforced and policed.’

Other Twitter users called the destruction of a public park ‘outrageous’ and an ‘absolute disgrace’. Some residents said it was ‘extremely depressing’ and a ‘disaster’. Eek. 

this is outrageous. for many people, often poor, often poc, this park is their only access to outside space. making huge swathes of it unusable just as the weather is getting nice is nothing short of an outright attack on working class people, sanctioned by the council. https://t.co/oba9RmS6Ot

— Ben Smoke (@bencsmoke) April 16, 2023

Just met a @toughmudder volunteer ashamed of the vandalism (hard to think of a kinder word) done in Finsbury Park. Not a corner of the park untouched. Keep fighting the good fight, @FinsParkFriends pic.twitter.com/qrN4lyQJkc

— Patrick Hosking (@HoskingTheTimes) April 16, 2023

This weekend Haringey council let @ToughMudder trash Finsbury Park. Thousands of runners tramped through our community planted orchard in the middle of bird nesting season. Is this what you call coproduction, care of local people and biodiversity? pic.twitter.com/nhYb80enVI

— JO SYZ (@j_syz) April 16, 2023

At what point @mikehakata do we stop and think, is this really what a beautiful community park is for?
Not NIMBYism, but the deliberate destruction of green space for a brand is pretty shameful. @HaringeyLabour pic.twitter.com/xRYu5sy4FX

— Jono Kenyon (@Jono_Kenyon) April 15, 2023

Friends of Finsbury Park is holding a meeting about ‘events and misuse of the park’ at 7.30pm on April 25 at Muslim Welfare House in Seven Sisters Road. Time Out has reached out to Tough Mudder and Haringey Council for comment. 

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