National Save Our Parks Campaign

NFPGS-logoA message from the National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces

SAVE OUR PARKS!

Protect and invest in the UK’s green spaces
– Help prevent the slide into crisis
– Let’s make parks a general election issue in 2015

Sign the petition

StateofParksParks and green spaces are an essential and unique resource and service, vital to every local community and serving a wide range of important needs for people of all ages and interests.

However, the June 2014 ‘State of UK Public Parks’ report documented the alarming slide into a long-term crisis being caused by the underfunding of the UK’s parks. We are now at a tipping point. It is up to all those who know and care to raise their voices together.

The inspirational rise of the Friends Groups movement over the last 15 years (with now over 5,000 groups), and the hard work and expertise of green space staff, managers and professionals, has demonstrated the commitment of the public and all those who love parks. We believe that there must now be an equivalent recognition and commitment from the political parties and the next Government in 2015. Let’s make this an election issue!

The petition has already begun to stimulate publicity and debate. There’s been a feature in the Daily Mirror, and important national organisations like Groundwork (the green space volunteering charity) and UNISON (the local Government workers Union) have agreed to back the call. An initial response from a representative of the Department for Communities and Local Government stated: ‘It’s good to see that friends groups across the country have support for the valuable work they do preserving good quality local parks’, and offered to meet with the National Federation to discuss ‘community rights’. But there was no response to the central issue of what the Government plans to do to ensure ‘good quality local parks’, so we now have to step up the pressure. Let’s all get the word out to everyone we know and get thousands more to sign!

Please help get as many signatures as you can…

1. Sign the petition: http://chn.ge/TXdqhj
2. Spread the news via Twitter: @LoveParks_Week #LoveParks
3. Spread the news via Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukparkspetition – and also: www.facebook.com/LoveParksWeek
4. Refer to the Parks Petition webpage: www.natfedparks.org.uk/parks-petition.html
5. Download and take round a Sign Up Sheet
6. Download and hand out leaflets

Please spread the word far and wide!