This year, we’ve been celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Becontree Estate.

Along with Ford, it defined Barking and Dagenham for most of the 20th Century.

The celebrations are not just a recognition of the role played by the Becontree in housing working Londoners. It is part of our commitment to making sure our community benefits from London’s growth.

As part of our celebrations, we provided a free festival at Parsloes Park.18,000 people enjoyed stalls and music. There was something for everyone, from small children to oldie music fans like me.

I was proud to see residents from every walk of life. As a borough, we’ve produced many great artists and talented people, including YolanDa Brown who was on stage at the festival.

It was heartening to see the next generation of talent on stage as well as the winners of the Roundhouse Unsigned competition.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Darren Rodwell has been celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Becontree EstateDarren Rodwell has been celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Becontree Estate (Image: BeFirst)

We teamed up with Love Music Hate Racism where Lord Denman, who helped end slavery in the 19th Century, once lived.

For those of us who remember it, the defeat of the BNP in 2010 was another turning point in our history.

Our diversity is our strength just as much as our past. It was great to see young and old, white, black and Asian residents dancing together and enjoying the day together.

I want to thank the council’s staff for organising the event. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and the acts were great. I also want to praise the Roundhouse pub for running the beer tent and being such a fantastic outlet for music in the borough.

It’s amazing to think our little corner of London has been entertaining generations for decades. Here’s hoping it continues for many more decades to come.

The last two years have been difficult for everyone because of the pandemic. The world has changed so much, and it was great to come together and have some fun. We even managed to provide an opportunity for 200 people to get their jab in our vaccination tent, helping protect them and their loved ones from Covid-19.

Thank you to everyone who came. Please keep an eye out for our other festivals and events being held in the borough over the rest of the year.