News from The Parks Alliance The Parks Alliance (TPA) is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces that we are proud to have at the heart of British life. We are the only independent, nationwide organisation solely dedicated to parks. Get in..Read More

The two organisations have joined forces to support a partnership of 50+ organisations and leading practitioners, creating a new Parks and Green Space Network (PGSN) to better support the parks sector.  In May 2020, the boards of The Parks Alliance (TPA) and the Landscape Institute (LI) agreed in principle to bring their organisations closer together. The goal: to create a stronger voice, avoid duplication of efforts, and better support the parks and green space..Read More

A policy paper from the new Parks and Green Space Network (PSGN) calls on the UK Government to seize a ‘once in a generation chance’ to deliver a truly green economic recovery from COVID-19. During the COVID-19 lockdown, parks and green spaces have provided a lifeline for millions. Rightly championed as crucial assets to maintaining..Read More

News from The Parks Alliance The Parks Alliance (TPA) is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces that we are proud to have at the heart of British life. We are the only independent, nationwide organisation solely dedicated to parks. Get in..Read More

Saving the Health Service £2bn a year makes parks a smart investment for a Green Recovery Today, The Parks Alliance (TPA) has published ‘Making Parks Count’ making the business case for parks, why they matter and why they are a ‘smart investment’. The case illustrates how parks in England deliver over £6.6bn of health, climate..Read More

Concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak continue to grip our world. As an organization, World Urban Parks advocates and supports the power of parks, open spaces, and nature as essential resources for health and wellness. World Urban Parks understands that communities may have questions and concerns about visiting their local parks, trails or open spaces at..Read More

The latest guidance from the UK Government has changed. The latest detailed guidance can be found here. You must now stay at home. You should only leave the house for one of four reasons. Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible. One form of exercise a..Read More

A group of 35 leading national outdoor activity, tourism, nature, health and rescue organisations, has come together to back the Prime Minister’s call for the public to behave responsibly while exercising outside. In a joint statement, the group offers support to the Government and advises the nation on how to stay active safely during the..Read More

A Statement from World Urban Parks – World Park Leaders Grow Here – In a time of crisis (COVID19) World Urban Parks have issued a statement about the role parks can play in times of a public health crisis like the one we are all experiencing now. You can find a copy of the statement..Read More

News from The Parks Alliance The Parks Alliance (TPA) is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces that we are proud to have at the heart of British life. We are the only independent, nationwide organisation solely dedicated to parks. Get in..Read More

TPA and BALI are very excited to announce a new partnership. The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) is the UK’s leading trade association that represents all landscape professionals, from design, build and maintenance through to supply, training and education with landscape professionals based in all four nations of the UK. BALI aims to maintain and improve the..Read More

News from The Parks Alliance The Parks Alliance (TPA) is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces that we are proud to have at the heart of British life. We are the only independent, nationwide organisation solely dedicated to parks. Get in..Read More

This is a short video produced by the researchers at Leeds University.  Its aim to is raise public awareness of the importance of public parks and the challenges they face drawing on their research on the past, present and future.Read More

On 26th September, the Landscape Institute (LI), in association with the Parks Action Group, West Midlands Parks Forum and The Parks Alliance, held a free, all-day CPD event in Birmingham: Empowering parks for the 21st Century. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) funded the event to help address skills needs for modern-day..Read More

News from The Parks Alliance The Parks Alliance (TPA) is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces that we are proud to have at the heart of British life. We are the only independent, nationwide organisation solely dedicated to parks. Get in..Read More

The West Midlands Parks Forum is currently evolving as Parks Officers from the West Midlands and the East Midlands are joining forces in an effort to develop wider opportunities for skills sharing and personal development. Members of both organisations recognise that as resources are becoming scarcer for parks professionals, that economies of scale should be..Read More

Empowering Parks Conference 26th September 2019 The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) invites park and landscape managers to a FREE all-day event on 26 September at the studio in Birmingham. Delivered by the Landscape Institute, in association with the Parks Action Group, West Midlands Parks Forum and The Parks Alliance, this is a day of learning and development for people..Read More

News from The Parks Alliance The Parks Alliance (TPA) is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces that we are proud to have at the heart of British life. We are the only independent, nationwide organisation solely dedicated to parks. Get in..Read More

Calling all green space Friends and community groups and supporting organisations. A message from our friends at NFPGS. We’re happy to announce four dates in the series of greenspace Community Empowerment regional conferences around England this summer and autumn. Join us at these important events, organised to promote and encourage greater community empowerment in our..Read More

News from The Parks Alliance The Parks Alliance (TPA) is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces that we are proud to have at the heart of British life. We are the only independent, nationwide organisation solely dedicated to parks. Get in..Read More

News from The Parks Alliance The Parks Alliance (TPA) is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces that we are proud to have at the heart of British life. We are the only independent, nationwide organisation solely dedicated to parks. Find out..Read More

The Parks Minister Rishi Sunak gave Parliament and update on the progress made on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee’s report into public parks in England. The Minister gave updates against each recommendation including the additional cash he made available earlier this year. The detailed statement can be found here.Read More

Gardens, parks and tree management stars sought as Custodian Awards 2019 is open for entries Entries are open for the Horticulture Week Custodian Awards 2019 – the leading industry Awards scheme supporting, encouraging and broadcasting excellence in the professional management of the UK’s gardens, parks, grounds and trees. Horticulture Week is delighted to welcome the..Read More

New Cash for Parks On the 17th February the government announced that Councils across the country are to benefit from more than £13 million of new funding for parks and green spaces. £9.7 million of the money is to be used to cover maintenance costs to essential playground repairs and the creation of new green..Read More

The Parks Alliance to take key role on Government’s new ‘Parks Action Group’ Parks and Green Spaces Minister, Marcus Jones MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Minister for Local Government has today announced the creation of a ‘Parks Action Group’ as part of his formal response to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee Inquiry into..Read More

The recent Communities and Local Government Inquiry into Public Parks found Parks “at a tipping point and face a period of decline with potentially severe consequences unless their vital contribution to areas such as public health, community integration and climate change mitigation is recognised.” The Inquiry encouraged local authorities to evaluate what they are doing,..Read More

The Parks Alliance has released six ‘park pledges’ which it encourages candidates and parties to embrace ahead of the upcoming elections. For parties 1. Continue to appoint a Minister for Parks as a key priority, ensuring that they have a good understanding of the sector and resources to champion parks and open spaces. 2. Commit..Read More

The Parks Alliance (TPA), the UK’s voice of parks, today responded to the Communities and Local Government Committee’s report on their inquiry into public parks by calling on the government to take a joined up approach across Departments to fund them. Over half the UK population regularly use their local park, yet the challenge of managing..Read More

The Parks Alliance’s evidence submission has been published by the Communities and Local Government Committee in advance of their expected evidence sessions this autumn. We are delighted that the Committee is exploring the state of parks and open spaces and their current challenges, as well as what needs to occur to ensure they remain viable..Read More

­ Mark Camley, chair of The Parks Alliance, discussed the crisis facing our parks and the challenges faced by the local authorities in managing our green spaces in a recent blog for the Local Government Information Unit. In the blog, Mark pointed out that the publication of the recent Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) report ‘State of UK Public Parks..Read More

The Parks Alliance Board comprises of professionals from across the sector who are nominated from amongst our membership. We are currently looking for people to join us who have similar success in a senior management or leadership roles in parks, business, government, philanthropy, or the non-profit sector. The skills and experience we’re looking for are..Read More

The Parks Alliance (TPA), the UK’s voice of parks, today responded to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) report ‘State of UK Public Parks 2016’  by calling on the government to recognise the range of benefits and value that Parks deliver, including in health, social cohesion and air quality, and take a joined up approach across..Read More

Today (11 July) the Communities and Local Government Select Committee announced its Inquiry on the future of public parks. The terms of reference of the Inquiry are available here. The Parks Alliance has has welcomed the Inquiry and Mark Camley, Chair of The Parks Alliance, the national voice of UK parks, said: ‘Today’s announcement of the Select Committee Inquiry into..Read More

We all know parks are beneficial to our health and wellbeing. Ruari Muir, whilst on a sabbatical, spent a lot of time at his local South London park trying to put things into perspective and became fascinated with watching other people. He picked up his camera and spent the next month asking other park users why they were..Read More

The Parks Alliance has long called for studies into green prescribing and the benefits that urban parks and green spaces have on public health. We are pleased to see that the Department of Landscape at Sheffield University has been awarded £1.3m for new research to understand how parks and green spaces throughout Sheffield affect the health and..Read More

The Parks Alliance (TPA), the UK’s voice of parks, today published ‘The National Playground: growing the next generation’ on the importance of parks to family life. The current squeeze on budgets is putting our parks and green spaces at risk and data highlighted in the report show that parents with children under 10, are most..Read More

The World Urban Parks have issued their latest news update for April 2016. Read the edition here.  Read More

The Parks Alliance is pleased to announce that we are partnering the Horticulture Week Custodian Awards.   The time has come for the custodians of the UK’s parks, gardens, green spaces and urban woodlands to receive the recognition they deserve for the extraordinary job they do.   Across the UK, countless managers in the parks, gardens..Read More

Nesta, Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund have published a report ‘Learning to Rethink Parks’ which presents the lessons from Rethinking Parks, an 18 month programme designed to find and test ways for Britain’s parks to source new sustainable funding in the future. Eleven UK parks received a share of £1m in grant funding..Read More

I know that 2016 looks like another challenging year for some of you. For while some Parks and even some parts of the UK have sufficient funding and support for Parks, that is certainly not true for all areas and all parks. Local authorities will be in the process setting budgets for the coming financial..Read More

  A cross section of stakeholders including the GLA, NESTA, HLF, landscape professionals, Parks Alliance board members and National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces, met on Friday 22 January to discuss future funding models for parks. Hosted by Horticulture Week’s editor Kate Lowe, the group was presented with international comparisons and experience by Neil..Read More

The Government has announced a new strategy ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation’ to strengthen sport from the grassroots to the elite on Thursday 17 December 2015. The strategy will see Sport England’s remit change from investing in sport for those aged 14 and over to supporting people from five years old..Read More

On Wednesday 9 December the Greater London Authority’s Green Infrastructure Task Force published its report ‘Natural Capital: Investing in a Green Infrastructure for a Future City‘. The report identifies why green infrastructure is increasingly necessary, and the changes to policy, governance, valuation and funding that are needed to ensure long-term investment in London’s green infrastructure...Read More

Mark Camley, Chair of The Parks Alliance, the national voice of UK parks, said: ‘Today’s spending review puts even more pressure on Local Authority budgets and their ability to provide and maintain the quality parks that we all rely upon. Securing the long term future of our parks is vital to the quality of life..Read More

The Parks Alliance (TPA), the UK’s voice of parks, in response to the Government consultation on its ‘New Strategy for Sport’ calls for a study of the value of green prescribing. Recognising that investing in prevention is more cost effective than paying for the cure, the TPA calls for a clinical trial to provide the..Read More

  The Parks Alliance, the UK’s voice of parks, has launched an open call for park testimonials from members of the public in time for this year’s World Parks Day on 19 September. As the voice of UK parks, the Parks Alliance, is looking to create a library of useful and informative testimonials celebrating local..Read More

          The Parks Alliance, the UK’s voice of parks, has been awarded £9,600 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to establish a not-for-profit membership organisation that represents the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces at the heart of UK life. The project, called..Read More

Introduction In a new report launched on the 23rd July 2015, independent think tank ResPublica argues for the restoration and democratisation of beauty in public policy. Based on findings from a public poll conducted by leading pollsters Ipsos Mori, A Community Right to Beauty explores the public’s attitudes towards beauty and perceived local access to..Read More

The Parks Alliance, the UK’s voice of parks, is backing this year’s Love Parks Week which launches on 24 July as ‘a vital annual event’. Speaking about the week-long celebration, Mark Camley, Chairman of The Parks Alliance, said: “Love Parks Week highlights the many benefits that our parks contribute to the nation’s well-being. Through its..Read More

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund have announced that they are investing £34 million in what they describe as ‘some of the UK’s most precious, yet tired green spaces’. The money will, the HLF says, transform these sites, some of which are in the country’s most deprived communities. Disused historic buildings will..Read More

This year, the Landscape Institute curates 10 landscape walks for the London Festival of Architecture (LFA: 1-30 June 2015).  Taking place on Wednesday and Thursday evenings in June the walks explore London’s varied and eclectic mix of spaces and landscapes and are tied in with the New London Architecture exhibition Public London. From the old,..Read More

The Landscape Group and The Parks Alliance announce agreement The Landscape Group will support The Parks Alliance by providing business support, through a newly announced arrangement. The Parks Alliance (TPA) is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces at the heart of British..Read More

A collection of recent reports suggest there is growing evidence proving parks are valued community assets. A body of evidence is growing that quantifies the public benefits of parks, and at the same time, explicitly details the loss of community benefits if severe budget cuts continue. The budget cuts are not just cuts to parks..Read More

The Fabian Society report Places to Be highlights green spaces as crucial community ballast, and calls for management of green spaces in such a way that empowers citizens and encourages democratic engagement. Fabian Society, a political think tank, launched the report on Wednesday with a keynote speech from Maria Eagle and a panel discussion at..Read More

Commenting on the 2015 election result, Dr Sid Sullivan, Vice Chairman, of the Parks Alliance said: ‘We look forward to working with a new government and in particular, we are keen to meet with the new Parks Minister to plan the best way to achieve our aims. Our overall aim is to take action with..Read More

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park playground © LLDC Over 28 million visits will be made to UK parks over the long weekend for Easter celebrations and more. An estimated 2.6bn visits are made to parks across the UK each year, which equates to 7,123,287 visits per day. Based on the figures in the Heritage Lottery..Read More

Nesta survey picture Rethinking Parks is an initiative working with 11 teams to explore new ways to use, manage and make the most of the UK’s public parks. Nearly 190 people on the Rethinking Parks stakeholder list responded to the December 2014 survey on current and preferred ways to engage with Nesta, the independent charity..Read More

The Parks Alliance responds to the Health Committee’s Sixth Report on Impact of physical activity and diet on health: Parks are an investment in the nation’s health and wellbeing. Welcoming the Health Committee’s call to get people moving to improve people’s health, Dr Sid Sullivan of The Parks Alliance said: “Parks will be key to..Read More

The Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee final report of 2010-2015 Parliament, published this morning, acknowledges a need for a Government inquiry into parks. The report acknowledges the budget cuts to parks, stating that currently “funding for discretionary services such as parks being disproportionately squeezed.” The report lists parks as one of the major developments..Read More

Welcoming the National Trust’s proposal that it will “explore and give local support to local authorities, charities and communities in how to manage local heritage and green space”, Chairman of The Parks Alliance, Mark Camley, said: “The parks at the heart of UK life and culture stand on the brink of a funding crisis with..Read More

The Parks Alliance welcomes the Lawn Tennis Association’s plan to boost participation, with parks at the core of their strategy Welcoming the proposed partnership between the Lawn Tennis Association and parks across the UK to improve sports and leisure facilities Chairman of The Parks Alliance, Mark Camley, said: “Parks provide the UK’s sports fields and play..Read More

The Parks Alliance comments on Heritage Lottery Fund report ’20 Years in 12 Places’ The Heritage Lottery Fund released 20 Years in 12 Places: 20 years of Lottery funding for Heritage Lottery Fund this morning. Key findings of the report show: Major attractions and parks have the highest levels of awareness and engagement. Parks have..Read More

        The Parks Alliance has releases six demands ahead of the upcoming elections. They are: 1. Appoint a Minister for Parks as a key priority, ensuring that they have a good understanding of the sector. Meet with its representatives as a matter of urgency. 2. Invest in the sector to help it generate..Read More

The Parks Alliance board member Sue Ireland recently spoke at the discussion ‘How do you pay for Green Infrastructure in an age of austerity?’ Ruth Slavid of the Landscape Institute reviews the night. These are difficult times for publicly funded green infrastructure, particularly in terms of maintenance and most especially for anything that is dependent..Read More

A new vision has been penned to guide the work of The Parks Alliance following the Establishing Board meeting late last year. This has been incorporated into the Our perspective and Who we are sections. What is The Parks Alliance? The Parks Alliance is the voice of UK parks, representing the people and organisations that..Read More

The Landscape Institute has committed to support The Parks Alliance by providing communications services, through a newly announced agreement. The Landscape Institute is a professional body and educational charity for landscape architects and works to protect, conserve and enhance the natural and built environment for the public benefit. The LI champions landscape and the landscape..Read More

A private summit this month will be the first action delivered following a successful first meeting with Stephen Williams MP, Parks’ Minister, late last year. Representatives of The Parks Alliance presented Mr Williams MP, Parks’ Minister, with a posie of flowers and a jar of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park honey, when they met him on..Read More

Thank you for your continued support of The Parks Alliance. 2014 was a fruitful year for The Parks Alliance. TPA membership has grown to include more than 60 organisations and senior park industry figures from local government parks services, private contractors, industry bodies, NGOs and volunteer and park friends groups. A number of milestones were..Read More

On the first day of the IOG’s Saltex 2014, The Parks Alliance participated in a debate on the future of UK parks. Andrew Gill, President Elect of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, chaired the debate, which kicked off with a presentation from Peter Neale, principal author of the recent HLF report on the state of..Read More

Congratulations to all 1,746 parks that have been awarded Green Flag. This is a huge achievement for all the staff, volunteers and Friends Groups involved. It is great to see that this has increased since last year. However, it means that over 25,000 parks haven’t been awarded the standard. We want all of our parks..Read More

Commenting on the Heritage Lottery Fund State of UK Parks 2014 report, Mark Camley, Chairman of The Parks Alliance, the newly formed voice of UK parks, which brings together for the first time people and organisations that create, maintain, invest in and use the public green spaces, said: ‘This timely report provides the evidence to..Read More

The Parks Alliance held its first Conference in Birmingham on 8 May 2014. The event was hosted by Birmingham City Council in the wonderful new Library complex. There was a strong turnout, with delegates from across the country. The conference was an opportunity for the transitional Board to update delegates on the progress it has..Read More

The Parks Alliance welcomes the publication of the International Federation of Parks and Recreation Administration’s report on the benefits of urban parks. The IFPRA is the international organisation that represents parks, recreation, amenity, cultural, leisure and related services. Among the federation’s aims are the advancement of parks, recreation, cultural and leisure services through representation and..Read More