Parks for People

• Heritage Lottery Fund
• public parks

Over the next three years, the two Lottery Funds will work in partnership to deliver a multi-million pound lottery investment which will see parks grow into more attractive and safer places for everyone to come together and enjoy - from kids and teens, to older people and families.

The 'Parks for People' grant scheme has been designed to encourage local people to get actively involved in and benefit from their parks, and to make sure open spaces play a vital role in community life.

This is the first joint programme from the two Lottery Funds and builds on their shared commitment to bringing a real improvement to local environment and quality of life, making a lasting impact on the lives of local people and the places they live. The scheme will be administered by the Heritage Lottery Fund which has delivered a successful programme supporting public parks for the past 10 years.

The £90 million over three years from the Big Lottery Fund will be added to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s significant continuing investment in parks anticipated at around £70 million over the period. Whilst the Big Lottery Fund has spent £514 million on environmental initiatives and the Heritage Lottery Fund has invested £400 million in the regeneration of public parks, there is still a great deal to be done to ensure parks are at the centre of community life.

“This is fantastic news for parks,” said Dame Liz Forgan, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund. “Parks are a good measure of local pride and integral to our sense of well-being. A run-down park that no-one wants to visit reflects badly on the local area. We want everyone to have a nearby park they can be proud of with plenty of opportunities for fun, exercise and the enjoyment of beautiful things.”

Sir Clive Booth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, added:

“Parks are a vital space in which people of all generations can come together. We go there to play, walk our dogs, exercise, watch fireworks, see concerts or simply to get away from the bustle of city life. We want to make a lasting impact by making parks more attractive, safer places to be.”

Tessa Jowell, MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, welcomed the announcement:

“This is a great example of how the Lottery can work together by combining their expertise and resources. This new scheme will encourage people to take a fresh look at their local park and put it firmly back at the centre of their community life.”

The new scheme will create training opportunities through which staff and volunteers can learn new skills to look after their parks. Funding will also be used to conserve and improve the heritage value of parks, improve access and provide new community facilities. Every completed park project will be expected to aim for the ‘Green Flag’ – demonstrating quality standards of care and upkeep.

Grants in the ‘Parks for People’ scheme will range from £250,000 to £5million. There will be two rounds of funding per year.

The first deadline for applications is 31 March 2006 with the first grants due to be awarded in September 2006.

CD-ROM application packs can be obtained by calling 020 7591 6042. Further information can be found on the HLF website.

Northern Ireland guidance publications

www.hlf.org.uk