History
GreenSpace, previously known as the Urban Parks Forum, was formed in 1999 as a voluntary organisation. The catalyst for its creation was the establishment of Lottery funding for historic urban parks through the Heritage Lottery Fund's Urban Parks Programme.
The individuals that formed the Urban Parks Forum recognised that a forum based organisation, founded on the principles of information dissemination, and networking and exchange of knowledge and good practice, would greatly assist the sector to make the most of this new opportunity.
The overriding concern of the original organisation was the conservation, restoration and improvement of the classic historic urban park of the Victorian or Edwardian era.
As the Forum's profile increased so too did its membership, and the increased membership supported and reflected the organisation's widening remit.
By this stage, with the organisation involved in all forms of publicly accessible green space, in rural as well as urban locations, it was clear to everyone involved in the organisation, Directors, staff, members and supporters, that its name no longer properly represented its activities and areas of interest.
In June 2003, with the support of our entire membership, at a reception held in Battersea Park, the Urban Parks Forum was officially relaunched as GreenSpace.
GreenSpace is now the nation's leading network of information and assistance for the improvement of all parks and green spaces, with a membership of more than half of the local authorities in the country, a network of nearly 4,000 community groups involved with green space, and a website that attracted more than 200,000 visits last year.
In 2005, GreenSpace officially became a charity, helping it to be more flexible in delivering a greater range of benefits to the wider parks and GreenSpace community and to better serve our members and others within the sector.
The individuals that formed the Urban Parks Forum recognised that a forum based organisation, founded on the principles of information dissemination, and networking and exchange of knowledge and good practice, would greatly assist the sector to make the most of this new opportunity.
The overriding concern of the original organisation was the conservation, restoration and improvement of the classic historic urban park of the Victorian or Edwardian era.
As the Forum's profile increased so too did its membership, and the increased membership supported and reflected the organisation's widening remit.
By this stage, with the organisation involved in all forms of publicly accessible green space, in rural as well as urban locations, it was clear to everyone involved in the organisation, Directors, staff, members and supporters, that its name no longer properly represented its activities and areas of interest.
In June 2003, with the support of our entire membership, at a reception held in Battersea Park, the Urban Parks Forum was officially relaunched as GreenSpace.
GreenSpace is now the nation's leading network of information and assistance for the improvement of all parks and green spaces, with a membership of more than half of the local authorities in the country, a network of nearly 4,000 community groups involved with green space, and a website that attracted more than 200,000 visits last year.
In 2005, GreenSpace officially became a charity, helping it to be more flexible in delivering a greater range of benefits to the wider parks and GreenSpace community and to better serve our members and others within the sector.