19 February 2016
More than 80 unloved and neglected urban spaces across the
country will be transformed into green havens for everyone to use,
thanks to a share of a £1.5m fund, Communities Secretary Greg Clark
has announced.
Increasing the availability of green space draws more
people outside, giving residents, particularly in urban areas
without gardens of their own, more space to relax, get together
with their neighbours, grow food and provide a safe space for their
children to play.
Now 87 community groups, from Newcastle to Penryn in
Cornwall, will have the money to create their own 'dream' pocket
parks, developing small parcels of land, sometimes as small as the
size of a tennis court.
Communities secretary Greg Clark said: "Parks and green
spaces breathe life into our bustling towns and cities providing
communities with precious spaces to get together, exercise and
play.
"Our funding will benefit urban areas with few green
spaces, delivering on the Government's manifesto commitment to
deliver pocket parks across our country.
"These winning bids all have a strong community focus at
the core of their plans and their designers have thought up highly
creative ideas to turn unloved urban spaces into the green lungs of
their communities that will be enjoyed for years to
come."
Winning bids include:
· Permarin Community Group, who plan to turn an unused
area of tarmac in Penryn into a native Cornish garden with space
place for children to play outdoors.
· The One Voice - Action for Disability Community Group in
Wolverhampton, who plan to turn a 30-year-old tipping zone into a
natural wildlife area, working with local residents and people with
poor mental health or physical disabilities to create the pocket
park.
· The Monkey Park Community Interest company in
Chesterfield who will use their funding to build a riverside
walkway, allowing people to walk along the Holme Brook and enjoy
the natural green space threading through the heart of the
community.
· The Friends of The Chuckery Village Green in Walsall
will make the most of the cherry trees on their derelict plot by
planting an edible herb and vegetable garden with a plan to create
pies and jams.
· Cherry Orchard Gardening Services, a community group in
Staffordshire, have been awarded funding to create a pocket
"Park-our" for local teenagers to practice parkour, the
increasingly popular urban sport, in a safe environment.
Full details of all the winners are available on an
interactive map.
Graham Duxbury, Groundwork chief executive, said: "Every
year Groundwork helps hundreds of thousands of people of all ages
to organise and work together to protect, preserve, improve or
create green spaces on their doorstep.
"We're delighted the government is supporting communities
and councils to do more. For many local groups, improving the park
at the end of their street is the first step in getting much more
involved in how their neighbourhood is run."