CHAMPION: Thousands enjoy Have a Field Day fun in the sun

Posted on 11th July 2018

An estimated 30,000 park lovers across the country enjoyed a fun filled day at the park on Have a Field Day on Saturday 7th July. Hundreds of events took place right across the UK from small community picnics to large parties and fetes.

An estimated 30,000 park lovers across the country enjoyed a fun filled day at the park on Have a Field Day on Saturday 7th July. Hundreds of events took place right across the UK from small community picnics to large parties and fetes.

Stanley Park, winners of Fields in Trust's UK's Best Park, as voted by YOU! 2017 award led the Have a Field Day celebrations with their 'Most Marvellous Family Day' as part of the Wordpool Festival. The popular event featured lots of different activities and colourful attractions as well as music, dancing, storytelling, picture shows, craft activities, face painting and adventure action on and off the park's lake to give the hundreds of adults and children who came along plenty to do.

In Scotland, the community of Catrine in East Ayrshire celebrated their local green spaces at Riverside Park, one of six in East Ayrshire protected in perpetuity with Fields in Trust, at an event which included slip 'n' slide, arts activities, den building and more.

On a smaller sale, the Friends of Caledonian Park in north London hosted a Have a Field Day picnic which invited all park users to join in.

King's Cliffe Active near Peterborough, meanwhile, enjoyed a star appearance as Danielle Brown MBE, double Paralympic gold medal winning archery athlete, delivered tuition to all ages as part of an archery taster session organised by the Mintridge Foundation.

A selection of just some of the other activities happening on Have a Field Day are below.

Have a Field Day champions our parks and green spaces, calling for their protection from development and raising awareness of the positive impact they have on our communities.

Fields in Trust's research calls for a revaluing of our parks and green spaces as a resource which contributes to public health, mental wellbeing and community cohesion, not simply being viewed as a drain on council finances for upkeep. The research finds that parks and green spaces across the UK provide people with over £34 billion of health and wellbeing benefits and also demonstrates NHS savings of at least £111 million per year based solely on prevented GP visits by regular park users.

The first Saturday in July marks the date Fields in Trust was founded by King George V at the Royal Albert Hall in 1925. Next year's Have a Field Day will again take place on the same weekend – save the date for Saturday 6th July and start planning your event! Keep an eye out on our website and sign-up to receive our e-bulletin to be the first to hear when registration for Have a Field Day 2019 opens early next year.