Let’s Celebrate, Improve and Defend the UK’s Green Spaces!

Our local green spaces are vital for everyone and every community – and for all age groups and interests! They are an essential and unique service promoting relaxation, recreation and play, wildlife and bio-diversity, attractive walking and cycling routes, green jobs and skills, heritage, flood control, health and social well-being, and community cohesion.

However, there is growing alarm from the public, from Friends of Parks groups, parks managers, experts and MPs, about the serious long-term damage being caused by devastating cuts to green space budgets for staff and maintenance, and the lack of funding and investment by local and national government. If not reversed, this neglect will cause them to go into serious decline and become problem spaces abandoned by park users and plagued by vandalism – or even being closed and sold off. We must not let this happen.

We call on all park lovers and the UK public in general to…

• CELEBRATE our public green spaces and community activities organised there
• EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITIES to take ‘ownership’ of our local spaces and get involved in all decision-making
• SET UP FRIENDS GROUPS for every urban park and green space
• SPEAK OUT to ensure that the needs of parks are heard loud and clear
• OPPOSE threats of inappropriate commercialisation, development and sell-offs of facilities and green space
• HELP CREATE A MASSIVE CO-ORDINATED GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT to promote, defend and improve our green spaces
• DEMAND THE GOVERNMENT bring in a Statutory Duty to monitor and manage these spaces to Green Flag Award standard; and ensure adequate public resources and protection for all green spaces

The NFPGS, as the voice of the Friends Groups movement, pledges to…

• CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE, PROMOTE AND SUPPORT co-ordinated Friends Groups networks and conferences around the country
• CALL for whole greenspace sector and supporters everywhere to back the grassroots movement and this call to action