Since ParkPlay returned to play in April, we’ve started in 11 parks mainly in Basildon and Essex, but also recently in Cumbria and County Durham. More than 1,500 people have registered to play and we had over 2,700 attendances in the first 15 weeks back. There’s a real buzz with people in different communities in different parts of the country embracing ParkPlay, and enjoying being active safely as we emerge from Covid-19.

The feedback from ParkPlayers has been overwhelmingly positive; and we’re already seeing positive impact from people playing more and beyond Saturday morning in communities where we’re playing. None of it would be possible without the support of brilliant partners like ATF and West Ham United Foundation in Basildon, the Active Partnerships in their respective areas (like Active Essex, County Durham Sport and Active Cumbria) and our long-time supporter Sport England. But most of all we’ve found brilliant PlayLeaders who lead the sessions and champion ParkPlay in their communities.

Right now it’s never been more important to help communities reconnect and be happy and active outdoors. So we are planning to accelerate our growth and take the learnings from the first 3 months to start in more areas and more parks. As well as Essex, West London, Cumbria and County Durham, we’re also going to be starting ParkPlay in Cornwall and Leeds later this summer. We’ll continue to improve and support local communities to bring ParkPlay to their parks in these places and then others in 2022.

We’re looking for more brilliant PlayLeaders in these areas – they are the driving force behind ParkPlay, leading great sessions and inspiring people to get involved. These are paid, part-time roles and no specific qualifications are required. PlayLeaders come from all kinds of backgrounds, united by their desire to help more people to play. There is more information here and if you have any questions please email us.

We’re also recruiting local co-ordinators in the key areas to be our people on the ground – working with local stakeholders and recruiting, training and supporting PlayLeaders. We’ll be publishing more details of these roles very soon.

Let’s #MeetMovePlay together, across the country.