It’s been just over a year since ParkPlay launched at Vange Primary School in Basildon, and since then we’ve achieved a huge amount. We’ve started ParkPlay in 32 communities in 6 different regions and had more than 3,000 unique ParkPlayers. (For more about our first year check out our Year 1 Impact Report.)

Our first year was always going to be one of fast growth to work in and with as many communities as we could, but also to learn and evolve. We’ve tried so many different things, we’ve failed in a few places, but we’ve always been learning. Now is the time to take those lessons and refine ParkPlay, to lay the foundations for long-term impact and scale. ParkPlay 2.0 is about taking the best bits from the last 12 months and bring that same magic combination of “health and joy” (as Zarifa, our PlayLeader at Spikes Bridge ParkPlay put it) to all ParkPlays, current and yet to come.

ParkPlay is one big team effort and everything we’ve achieved has been with the help of many people and organisations, and none more so than Sport England and The National Lottery. This partnership has been the cornerstone of our success and will continue to be, but in this next chapter we’re developing more ways to ignite ParkPlay in communities where it’s needed and wanted most.

So while our mission remains the same – to encourage more people to be active and bring communities together through the life-changing power of play – the way we enable that, the role we play to better fulfil that mission, will change subtly but vitally. Most importantly, ParkPlay is a community event, for the benefit of and put on by the local community. ParkPlay (the organisation and central team) may be the instigator, the facilitator or the supporter (and often all three) but the local ParkPlay is for and by a community, for them to own and nurture, for as long as they want it.

To enable this, which is already happening at most ParkPlays, and to make every ParkPlay sustainable for long-term community impact, we will be doing three main things:

1. Empowering communities to make ParkPlay work for them – we’ll be giving communities greater ownership of their own ParkPlay, and helping each form supportive teams of people locally in voluntary and paid roles.
2. Increasing the support we give communities where the need is greatest – we’ll focus most of our resources in helping communities in more disadvantaged areas establish their ParkPlay and establish the conditions for long term success (teams, training, sourcing funding etc.).
3. Refining what’s special and unique about ParkPlay – to make the experience even better and simpler, making ParkPlay easier to put on, manage and communicate so local people can focus on the fun stuff.

Most ParkPlays already have the conditions to be successful for the long term but for some that haven’t quite got there yet, we’ll support them. We’ll keep growing and taking ParkPlay to more communities, but we’ll take more time to lay stronger foundations for the long-term.

This is an exciting new chapter for ParkPlay as we take the learnings from our first year on the next step along what will undoubtedly be a long journey. Thank you to everyone who’s been on the journey with us so far. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email me.

Rick Jenner
CEO