Parks and green spaces in Calderdale to get improvements thanks to £500,000 funding from Sport England

Calderdale Council, through the Active Calderdale local delivery pilot, has received confirmation from Sport England that its bid for funding has been successful. The £500,000 grant will support the Active Calderdale initiative and be used for improvements in parks to create safe, accessible, and attractive spaces that will make it easier for more people to be physically active.

The funding will be used in areas which will particularly benefit from support, encouraging physical activity in local communities.

The work will be a partnership between Calderdale Council and local communities and will involve the many organisations that already help parks and green spaces be used for the good of Calderdale communities. This includes other public sector organisations, and local friends groups, who will be instrumental in the process.

The funding will complement existing work taking place in the borough, such as the ongoing improvements at Shroggs Park, where investment is helping the Council, the Friends Group and local residents deliver a programme of improvements designed to make the area more welcoming, more attractive and more accessible, whilst ensuring that the work is also sustainable.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Coun Tim Swift, said: “Our parks and green spaces play an important role in supporting people’s health and wellbeing. This is something which was particularly evident during Covid as we saw more people using parks for their physical and mental health.

“We want to encourage people to continue to enjoy green spaces by working with communities to make them more accessible and creating safe, welcoming areas, which in turn will support physical activity.

“This funding from Sport England will allow us to continue and enhance our long-standing commitment to reducing inequalities and supports our Active Calderdale mission for people to be physically active in any way they choose.”

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, from Sport England, said: “Sport England is excited to make this investment as part of the work to improve Calderdale's parks and help meet the needs of its local communities. The lessons from this investment will help Calderdale to make their parks more attractive and inclusive spaces for people to use, especially for people who have not used them in the past.”