Parks budgets cut by av 30% - pls help support campaign to preserve our green space

Christyt

If you use and care about your local park, please consider reading the rest of this message...

Parks services are having budgets cut by an average of 30% - and parks professionals are warning the sustained denegration of parks could usher in an era of, at best, poorly maintained parks and at worst, parks taken over by graffiti/drugs/litter or just sold off.

Please check out the Make Parks A Priority campaign - (see and 'like' www.facebook.com/makeparksapriority) which is lobbying government for an formal inquiry into the situation and the fact that there is no national governmental department responsible for parks.

Our green spaces are lifeblood for families and people of all ages, helping prevent obesity, fostering an interest in nature, improving fitness and well being and ultimately cutting costs for the NHS.

Also on Twitter @parksapriority / #makeparksapriority

Please support and spread the word.

Thanks

NeverInDebt

Sadly due to government cut back on councils something has to give. If funding on parks were not cut something else would go. I know its short sighted to not take into account the enormous contributions parks have to us. Many areas in my town are being cut along with libraries and even road side verges, I think the grass verges have only be cut 3-4 times this year in my town and local parks nurseries are being sold off despite them getting good feedback

Just a suggestion but can you not set up a friends group, which may secure assistance and possible get volunteers. Shame they cant sue offenders to do more by doing something positive in a community

Christyt

Thanks neverindebt. The campaign in trying to harness friends groups to get some action and awareness at the top. Lots of friends groups do great work locally and that's fine, but relies on people having enough time/energy to do the work themselves (increasingly so with the cuts of course).

I think I'll steer clear of the debate about where and how cuts are made as it is ultimately up to Government policy how they deal with public debt/budgets/reviving the economy and it becomes v political v quickly.

One can but try and fight for things that one values - and ask people to like the Make Parks a Priority Facebook page and if they feel so moved, to lobby their local MP to support EDM219. - http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/219

All the best

agentk

freinds group is the way to go a lot of work though checkout are parks sutton park st helens our freinds group have raised 150k + over the last 5 years and have justed gained a green flag status :jthis year.all the info is on website sorry cant do link things .search for freindsofsuttonpark mike

agentk

ooopps website down sorry i will get daughter on to it :mad: