Fancy being a Friend of Whitfield Rec?

Published on 27 June 2022

If you love Whitfield's recreation ground and its green spaces and want to help see them improved as places everyone can enjoy, we want to hear from you!

High Peak Borough Council is hosting a public meeting at 7pm on Friday 8 July at Pure Vibes on Ebenezer Street in Glossop to establish a Friends group to be involved in developing these spaces.

Deputy Leader and Executive Councillor for Regeneration, Tourism and Leisure, Damien Greenhalgh, said: "Lots of the parks in the High Peak have Friends groups who do such a fantastic job of helping us to take care of these special places and making sure that they are providing the amenities and facilities the local community want to see.

"The Council wants to work cooperatively with more of these Friends groups and we particularly want to see all of those benefits here in Whitfield - we know there are plenty of people who care about their Rec and green spaces so we're inviting you to come along next week and find out more about what being a Friend is all about.

"Being outdoors in a natural environment is not only a pleasurable way to spend leisure time, it also has proven health benefits which is why this Council has prioritised park improvements, created a development fund and launched our first dedicated Parks Strategy to ensure these are places we can be proud of.

"Local involvement in developing and taking care of these places is at the heart of what we want to achieve. Our Friends groups are the best way we know of making sure we're listening to our communities so we hope to see plenty of you at the meeting!"

Whitfield Councillor, Graham Oakley, will chair the meeting supported by Councillor Rob Baker who will talk about how Tintwistle residents set up the Friends of Conduit Street and the great things that that group has achieved since.

Councillor Greenhalgh, Caz Whittle from the Council's Leisure and Recreation team, and Helen Thornhill from Move More Glossop will encourage the discussion around what Whitfield residents want for their park.

Topics for the conversation include:

·       How the make the Rec more family friendly - including the potential for social events and activities for young people

·       Ideas for encouraging people to move more

·       Planting trees and flowers

·       Identifying other patches of publicly-owned land that could be enhanced

·       Support to source grant funding

Find out more about the Council's ambitions for its parks and public spaces at www.highpeak.gov.uk/Parks-Strategy