Park It! FAQs

1. What is Park It!?
2. What will be happening at the events?
3. What is the idea behind Park It!?
4. Who's involved in Park It!?
5. Can I attend an event?
6. Can you help me organise an event in my park?

Take a look at our general parks and green space FAQs

What is Park It!?
Park It! is a series of events taking place regionally in parks throughout the UK. Held over three years, this project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and organised by GreenSpace in partnership with local community groups. These events will inspire communities to discover the history of their parks and celebrate their significance to the people that use them.

In addition Park It! will highlight the rich heritage of our local parks as well as helping to develop the skills of community groups. Park It! - 12 incredible events in 12 incredible parks. In every region of the UK you will find Park it! this summer, celebrating people in parks.

What will be happening at the events?
In 2005 there will be 12 Park It! events in different regions throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The events will be fun, informative and interactive. Some of the events will include archaeological digs for children, plays and storytelling, art workshops (demonstrations and interactive), horticultural displays, farm animals, children’s entertainment, family tours of the park, celebration of the history of the park and local area, historical re-enactments, multicultural food stalls and involvement of a range of community groups.

What is the idea behind Park It!?
Events are a great way to bring a wide section of the community into a park. As well as providing a fun and entertaining day, Park It! events can highlight the significance and importance of the park. Hopefully, more people will become increasingly interested in visiting and contributing to the enhancement of the park.

Importantly, Park It! will involve community and Friends groups in the organisation of the events. These groups will gain vital experience during this time, which they can put to use in the future. The skills learnt will help them provide events that will help sustain and promote their park.

In addition the organisation of the events will:

• Strengthen the relationship between local authorities and community groups. Consequently authorities should be encouraged to actively work with community groups to develop a broad range of activities in parks.
• Increase levels of park use and encourage new audiences to experience the benefits of parks and green spaces. The events will attract irregular park users. They can then be encouraged to visit the park more often.
• Raise community awareness of the holistic value of parks and green spaces. Not everybody appreciates the benefits of parks. The events will highlight why parks and open spaces are so important to us all.
• Ensure that the involvement of the community will help preserve the park for generations to come.
• Give community groups the experience and confidence to create and manage their own events.

Who’s involved in Park It!?
Park It! is run and organised by GreenSpace, who are a not-for-profit organisation established to help those committed to the planning, design, management and use of public parks and open spaces.
For more information visit www.green-space.org.uk

Park It! is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). HLF distribute a share of the money raised by the National Lottery for Good Causes, through a variety of grant giving programmes.

GreenSpace will be working in partnership with the local authority and Friends/Community group. The expertise, knowledge and enthusiasm of all three partners will ensure that the Park It! event in your region is a huge success. The Friends/Community group will especially play a central role in organising the activities. All three organisations will be working together in the planning and delivery of the event.

The local knowledge of the Friends group and local authority will enable Park It! events to have meaning to the surrounding community. While each Park It! event will consist of similar themes, each region will playing host to a unique day, relevant to the park.

Can I attend an event?
Yes! The events are FREE and will be taking place at the weekends. So please come along. Find out where Park It! is taking place in near you.

if you are interested in sponsoring a Park It! event, please visit the Park It! sponsorship area.

Can you help me organise an event in my park?
We currently have a series of toolkits that provide advice on specific event activities for parks. For example, we have toolkits, on Tours, Photographic Displays, How to run a stall, and a complete hand book on planning an event - Plan It! You can to download these toolkits from our website whe you click here