This April ParkPlay turns 3! After three brilliant, exciting and challenging years of learning and growth, what have we got planned for the next 12 months?
It’s easy for us all to forget that we’re still very young, like a small child still finding its feet and voice, excited by the world around it, meeting new friends and learning all the time. It’s been an amazing 3 years for everyone involved in ParkPlay, and years in which so many ParkPlays have really thrived and had a substantial and lasting impact in their communities thanks to great local PlayLeaders and partners.
We’re always looking forwards though, learning from our experiences and feedback from partners and participants, to improve so we can continue on our mission to build happier, healthier communities nationwide through the life-changing power of play. we want ParkPlay to have a positive impact and at scale. We want to take ParkPlay to thousands of communities and positively impact the lives of millions of people. We’re still at the very start of that journey. We’ll do that through collaboration and playing our (limited) role.
Below is more on this, but please first watch our mission film.
Growth
We’re hugely excited to be taking ParkPlay to more communities in 2024. We’ve started in 55 different places already and we will be starting another 15 this spring including in Trafford, Solihull, Stockton-on-Tees, Chichester, Merton, Bedfordshire and Burnley. We’re already in discussions to start in other towns and cities the length of England, plus taking ParkPlay to the other nations of the UK. We can’t wait to welcome lots more brilliant local people to our community of PlayLeaders.
Through collaboration and local ownership
We never do this alone, and local partners and funders are critical to ParkPlay, mostly to ensure that ParkPlay is having an impact where it’s needed and wanted most. Through partnerships we can work together to enable ParkPlay to fit alongside the great things already happening, and further boost opportunities for local people.
This approach also means communities can take ownership of their own ParkPlay event and shape it into something that works best for them, within our movement and with our support.
We ignite and guide
This approach has also shaped how we see our role – ParkPlay the charity and central team. This year we’ll be laser focused on igniting – working with local partners to create the conditions locally for sustainable impact – and guiding – raising up local people and giving them the support and tools they need to bring a brilliant, safe and welcoming event to their communities.
Specifically we’ve got some exciting developments in our training and Team Hub app planned which will improve the support we give to PlayLeaders. For a demo of the Team Hub click here.
To have impact at scale
Everything we do is to further our mission to have a positive impact on people’s lives. We’ve already seen the positive impact ParkPlay is having in communities – on their levels of physical activity and on mental health. We’re proud that ParkPlay is giving people who are less active the opportunity to #MeetMovePlay in a safe and welcoming environment where they can meet new people and have fun, while being a bit more active at the same time.
Soon we’ll be releasing more evidence of the positive wellbeing impact of ParkPlay that in turn will help us to involve more partners and take ParkPlay to more communities nationwide.
Thank you to everyone that is part of the movement, especially our brilliant community PlayLeaders.
Rick Jenner, ParkPlay CEO
Find your local ParkPlay
Please visit our ParkPlay Parks page to find your local ParkPlay and come and join us for your ParkPlay session. We play every Saturday morning.
