15
ISSUES: Fitness & Health
Chapter 1: About fitness
Nearly one in five believe local park
threatened
N
early one in five people (16 per
cent) say that their local park
or green space is currently or
has previously been under threat of
being lost or built on, according to a
new survey by Fields in Trust.
1
Nearly all (95%) agree that parks and
play areas should be protected from
development and 82 per cent feel so
strongly that they would be motivated
to campaign against a park loss. Two
thirds (69%) state that the loss of parks
would be detrimental to children’s
development and half of respondents
admitted that they would be less
active if their local green space was
lost.
The research found almost half of
people say using their local park helps
them to feel healthier (48%), with 70%
of 16- to 24-year-olds also feeling less
stressed as a result of having access to
green space. Spending quality time
with the family and feeling part of a
community were also identified as
important. Nearly a quarter of people
(24%) use their local park at least twice
a week.
Fields in Trust currently safeguards
over 2,500 sites; a total of 28,000
acres of land including playgrounds,
playing fields, and formal and informal
parkland across the UK.
As part of its work, Fields in Trust has
supported practitioners since the
1930s on open space provision and
design. On Thursday 5 November, the
charity will launch its latest provision
guide,
Guidance for Outdoor Sport and
Play: Beyond the Six Acre Standard,
at
the House of Lords. The guide will
act as a crucial tool for local planning
authorities,
developers,
planners,
urban designers and landscape
architects in the planning and design
of outdoor sport, play and informal
open space.
Helen Griffiths, Fields in Trust Chief
Executive, said: “These findings
demonstrate to us that people really
value their local green spaces, with
1 Censuswide, 2,079 UK adults, 13 October
2015 to 20 October 2015.
three quarters telling us that they
Nearly all agree that parks and play
areas should be protected from
development and would feel unhappy
if their local park was built on or closed
tomorrow. We live in a fast-pacedworld
and access to green space provides us
all with a chance to take time-out and
spend quality time being active with
friends and family.
“Whilst we already protect a huge
number of spaces across the country,
more can be done. People often
assume that their local park will always
be there but this isn’t necessarily the
case. The first step in getting a park
protected is often for local people to
actively campaign for it. Today we are
encouraging people to take the first
step by visiting our website to find out
if their favourite local park is safe.”
Fields in Trust ambassador and
former England footballer, Graeme
Le Saux, said: “I was born and grew
up in Jersey, where I had unlimited
access to outdoor space, whether
it was playing fields, parks or sand
dunes. Without this, I would never
have had the opportunity to have a
career in football. It’s these places that
cemented my interest in sport and
ultimately enabled me to develop my
skills.”
The most regular park users are
those in the North East, with one in
five visiting their local open space
almost daily. This is closely followed
by Londoners, where almost a third
of people use their park between one
to three times a week. Going for walks
(62%), relaxing (31%) and walking the
dog (24%), were accounted as the
main reasons for people visiting their
local park.
Fields in Trust’s annual awards
ceremony in December celebrates
the great work being done in parks
and playgrounds across the UK. This
year, for the first time, the Fields in
Trust Awards will feature a special
category ‘UK’s Best Park’ that will be
entirely voted for by the public. Voting
is now open and everyone is invited to
nominate their favourite local green
space, whether that’s a park, sports
field, playground or something else
entirely.
Fields in Trust Chief Executive Helen
Griffiths said: “Our research shows that
the nation’s parks and green spaces are
places to enjoy life experiences, with
many of those surveyed saying that’s
where they taught their grandchildren
to cycle, had their first kiss or reached
a personal sporting milestone. Some
people have even experienced or
witnessed a marriage proposal!
“Our awards help recognise the role
that our parks play in our communities,
bringing people together and creating
a safe outdoor environment that
everyone should be entitled to. As
Fields in Trust celebrates its 90th year
we invite all park users to vote for their
favourite green space.”
Research methodology
Censuswide interviewed a random
sample of 2,079 UK adults between 13
October 2015 and 20 October 2015.
About Fields in Trust
Fields in Trust is a national charity
that operates throughout the UK
to safeguard recreational spaces
and campaign for better statutory
protection for all kinds of outdoor
sites.
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The
above
information
is
reprinted with kind permission
from Fields in Trust. Please visit
for further
information.
© Fields in Trust 2017
