‘Love Parks’ was set up to recognise and support the work of ‘Friends of…’ groups in maintaining and enhancing local parks. Love Parks Week (running from 15th to 24th July 2016) celebrates this further with many events being held in parks all over the UK.
Parks provide a vital escape from built-up areas, a place that people can enjoy recreationally in a range of ways, from relaxing alongside the wildlife in the tranquillity of a site, to using sites for exercise and social activities. At GiGL our open space dataset contains information on more than 12,200 sites across London, with 47% of Greater London being green. This includes parks, gardens, green corridors, outdoor sports facilities, cemeteries, churchyards and many other categories.
You can explore London’s publicly accessible open sites on the iGiGL website and can find events and parks from all across the UK on the Love Parks website. Many studies have shown the positive effects on people’s wellbeing that green spaces have; not just walking through them but even just being able to view them from a window or the street. So find a park or an event near you this Love Parks week- and if you happen to see wildlife, do let us know on our website!