Monday 19 August 2013

'Love Parks Week' every week of the year?

How sad that GreenSpace (the national parks charity that launched and promoted 'Love Parks Week') is no more.  How fortunate that Keep Britain Tidy  has come to the rescue and that nearly 500 events went ahead during 'Love Parks Week' this year.

Keep Britain Tidy already supports the best of our parks and green spaces with the green Flag Award Scheme http://greenflag.keepbritaintidy.org. Earlier this month the charity neatly brought the two together when they held the launch of the 2013 awards at Victoria Embankment Gardens during 'Love Parks Week' celebrations. Starting with Tai Chi at 6 a.m. and finishing with 'Shakespeare in the Park', the day seems to have offered something for everyone.  It's worth checking the 'Love Parks Week' website to get an idea of the imaginative events that took place this year http://loveparksweek.org.uk/content/whats. There are plenty of ideas that could work in your local park in 2014.
(copyright Liz Ware)

Keep Britain Tidy is already looking to the event's future.  It hopes to form a new coalition of organisations that will support a year round 'Love Parks' campaign.  We'll be watching developments closely.  In the meantime, have a look at the Green Heritage Site section on the Green Flag Award website http://greenflag.keepbritaintidy.org/awards/green-heritage-sites/.  There might be a project in your county that fits the bill.

Looking forward to meeting some of you at Mile End for the AGT Conference.  Organised this year by London Parks & Gardens Trust, 'Eastern Promise- transforming London's landscapes from Abercrombie to the Olympics', will look at the development of East London's landscapes over the last sixty years. http://www.londongardenstrust.org No doubt it will be as stimulating as we've come to expect AGT conferences to be.