Hertfordshire’s first-ever ParkPlay is set to launch at Cedars Park, Waltham Cross in the Borough of Broxbourne and people of all ages are invited to get involved.
This new, free, weekly community event starts on Saturday 11 November from 10am to 12noon and will continue to take place every Saturday thereafter.
ParkPlay brings people from local communities together in parks and green spaces across the country for two hours of free play to enjoy informal games and activities, every Saturday morning. It offers people of all ages and abilities the chance to play together and connect in a relaxed, safe, and welcoming setting.
Cedars ParkPlay has been organised by Broxbourne Council, ParkPlay Herts Sport and Physical Activity Partnership and PlayLeaders from the local community, including Friends of Cedars Park and Time for Change. This is the first of several ParkPlays due to launch in Hertfordshire over the next year thanks to funding from Hertfordshire County Council’s Building Life Chances grant.
ParkPlay, which first launched in the UK in 2021, encourages everyone to be more active and brings communities together, as Anne Marie Murphy, the new Cedars ParkPlay Leader explains:
“ParkPlay is all about building happier, healthier communities through the life-changing power of play. It’s active and inclusive, so everyone’s welcome. With informal, unstructured games and activity, ParkPlay has no end goal apart from enjoyment! So, if you’re local to Cedar Park please come along, make friends, and have fun.”
“ParkPlay offers people of all ages and abilities the chance to play together and connect in a relaxed, safe, and welcoming setting. After a stressful, busy week, lots of people enjoy mucking about playing and hanging out with their friends and neighbours at ParkPlay,” says ParkPlay CEO Rick Jenner.
ParkPlay launched to encourage everyone to be more active outdoors and bring communities together. In the last 24 months with the support of Sport England, ParkPlay has successfully launched 44 ParkPlays from Cornwall to Cumbria and has had over 6,270 unique participants.
Councillor Dee Hart, Broxbourne Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure and Health, said: “We are delighted that ParkPlay is coming to Cedars Park which is the Borough of Broxbourne’s flagship park. Waltham Cross has high levels of childhood obesity and many families are struggling financially. ParkPlay will help address this by providing free fun activities for children each week. We are pleased to be partners in this initiative and I look forward to hearing positive tales of how children have enjoyed the sessions.”
Councillor Fiona Thomson, Hertfordshire County Council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families said “We want children to have the best start in life and this ParkPlay project will help us to improve young people’s health and wellbeing. We are delighted to be part of this partnership delivering this valuable project.”
ParkPlay is run by the local community for the local community. Set up, support, training and infrastructure are provided by the ParkPlay team. Everyone’s invited to join in the fun. Simply register at www.park-play.com, where you can also find information on how to help ParkPlay grow.