Archived news, comment and analysis from Fields in Trust with information about our protection programmes; our research and insights; and our campaigns.
Our news archive includes articles published over a year ago. For more recent articles, read our latest news.
The final award as part of UK's Favourite Parks 2022 recognises the Queen Elizabeth II Field to have received the most votes from the public earlier this summer.
Read moreIn our latest guest blog post Defra minister Lord Benyon explores a data-driven approach to future proofing green infrastructure through Fields in Trust's Green Space Index.
Read moreWe are delighted to be supporting the new Nature for Everyone campaign. Helen Griffiths explains why the campaign is so important and why were are getting involved, as well as discussing how you can get involved as well.
Read moreFields in Trust are deeply concerned to learn of plans being developed by two local authorities to sell their portfolios of parks and green spaces and replace them with shared "portable parks"
Read moreIn our latest staff blog Helen Griffiths introduces how we are collaborating with our good friends at parkrun to celebrate the many ways parks have been valuable to us this year and explore how they are #notjust green and pleasant nice-to-haves.
Read moreAt a time when we are all reminded of how much we value local parks, take part in The 2.6 Challenge and support our work to protect green spaces for good
Read moreOur research has demonstrated clear physical health and mental wellbeing benefits from regular use of parks and green spaces. However, the Covid-19 pandemic means we will all be spending a lot more time indoors in the forthcoming weeks.
Read moreWe take a look back on some of the highlights from another busy year for our nation's parks and green spaces.
Read moreWe examine what the political party manifestos for the 2019 UK General Election tell us about a future government’s approach to parks and green spaces.
Read moreFields in Trust were pleased to sponsor the Best Community Group Contribution to Sport or Physical Activity category at the Groundwork Community Awards, presented this week.
Read moreYour votes have given Blackpool's Stanley Park the title of UK's Best Park 2019, in an announcement made as our Summer of Parks drew to a close.
Read moreYou've been championing your local parks in record numbers this summer. If you enjoyed the Summer of Parks there's plenty of ways to stay involved.
Read moreOur final Summer of Parks staff blog comes from Helen Griffiths, who looks back on a summer where we have explored our parks and green spaces, learned more about them and the people who love them and championed everything they bring us.
Read moreFind out more about Stanley Park, winner of England's Best Park 2019 and final name on the shortlist for UK's Best Park 2019.
Read moreFind out more about Pittencrieff Park, winner of Scotland's Best Park 2019 and third name on the shortlist for UK's Best Park 2019.
Read moreFind out more about Cyfarthfa Park, winner of Wales' Best Park 2019 and second name on the shortlist for UK's Best Park 2019.
Read moreFind out more about Antrim Castle Gardens, winner of Northern Ireland's Best Park 2019 and first name on the shortlist for UK's Best Park 2019.
Read moreFind out which parks in Scotland have received "Much Loved" status thanks to your UK's Best Park votes.
Read moreYour UK's Best Park votes have given "Much Loved" status to three parks in Northern Ireland.
Read moreFind out which space joins the shortlist for UK's Best Park 2019 as the national winner in Wales.
Read moreDiscover the eleven recipients of "Much Loved" status and the regional winner in the North West from UK's Best Park 2019.
Read moreThree parks in the North East have gained "Much Loved" status as a result of your UK's Best Park votes.
Read moreYour votes mean six parks in Yorkshire and the Humber have been awarded "Much Loved" status.
Read moreFind out which four parks in the East Midlands have gained "Much Loved" status thanks to your votes.
Read moreDiscover the three recipients of "Much Loved" status and the regional winner in the West Midlands from UK's Best Park 2019.
Read moreFour parks in the South West have gained "Much Loved" status as a result of your votes.
Read moreFind out who you named as the Best Park in the South East as well as the region's other six "Much Loved" spaces.
Read moreYour votes have given "Much Loved" status to four parks and green spaces in the London region - discover those spaces and the regional winner.
Read moreDiscover the overall winner and recipients of "Much Loved" status in the East of England region in UK's Best Park 2019.
Read moreYou cast a stunning 36,832 votes for 364 nominated parks and green spaces. Discover when and how to find out the results from the UK's Best Park 2019 award.
Read moreAs our Summer of Parks week on organised sport in parks concludes we take a look at some tips if you're wanting to try out a new sport at your local park or green space.
Read moreThis week our Summer of Parks is discussing organised sport in parks and here we take a journey from A to Z through 26 sports you may find in your local park or green space.
Read moreWith park lovers across the nation getting involved in our Summer of Parks in record numbers, we provide an update on UK's Best Park 2019 as voting enters the final ten days.
Read moreA look at the importance of nature in cities as London becomes the world's first National Park City.
Read moreAhead of the 100 year anniversary of Peace Day, a look at some of the stories and the legacy created by our Centenary Fields programme.
Read moreAs our Summer of Parks continues we welcome a blog from Parks and Green Spaces Minister Rishi Sunak MP, who reflects on Have a Field Day, UK's Best Park and current developments within the parks and green spaces sector.
Read moreOn Have a Field Day today, around a fifth of the 250 plus events are being organised by Friends of groups - discover some of the ways groups across the UK are celebrating.
Read moreIn our latest staff blog our Digital & Campaigns Officer takes a look at the impact of litter and how we can all make our parks and green spaces nicer places for everyone this summer.
Read moreIn this week's spotlight we learn about Trevor Hoyte and his role in the maintenance and management of Rugby's parks for the benefit of the local community.
Read moreAs we conclude our Summer of Parks week focused on celebrating local parks and green spaces it's all about anniversaries, with a number of parks toasting major birthdays at the moment.
Read moreAs part of our Summer of Parks week celebrating parks, we chat with green space professional Chris Worman MBE.
Read moreAs we celebrate parks and green spaces this week we turn the spotlight on Starbank Park in Edinburgh and the work of their active Friends of group.
Read moreThis week as we celebrate parks and green spaces we take a look at some app options to download to enhance your park experience.
Read moreIn the third staff blog of our 'Summer of Parks' our Events & Membership Officer, Shannon Newton, discusses how Fields in Trust can offer guidance and support on obtaining funding for your local park or green space.
Read moreAn area which is often very beneficial to parks and green spaces is grant funding. Here we outline six places to start your search.
Read moreAs we discuss the funding of parks and green spaces this week we shine the spotlight on Stradishall Parish Council and their community fundraising efforts which led to their purchase of the local playing field.
Read moreIan Goodman from MyParkScotland shares his five top tips for crowdfunding for your park or green space.
Read moreAs we start our 'Summer of Parks' week discussing funding of parks and green spaces, a look back on the contribution of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to the 'Playing Fields Movement'.
Read moreIn the second on this summer's staff blogs, Angela Lewis discusses how parks bring people together and create informal communities.
Read moreHave a Field Day is about getting out and enjoying our local parks and green spaces. Here's eight ideas for your Have a Field Day that you can also get others involved with!
Read moreAs our Summer of Parks looks at at informal communities in parks and green spaces, we focus on one champion who has dedicated himself to bringing people together: Norman McCarley from the Friends of Brynmill Park in Swansea.
Read moreAn in depth look at provision in the London Borough of Islington and how they are working to protect their parks and green spaces for future generations.
Read moreIn our latest staff blog our Digital & Campaigns Officer reflects on compiling the Green Space Index and looks ahead to its future.
Read moreA review of the cross-cutting policy impact of parks and green spaces, as our Summer of Parks gets underway.
Read moreBetween now and mid-September, we'll be celebrating everything that we all love about our local parks and green spaces, leading discussions on the issues affecting parks and giving you plenty of opportunities to get involved along the way.
Read moreThis Sunday four runners will line-up at the start of the Virgin Money London Marathon to raise money towards Fields in Trust's work to protect, support and champion green spaces for good.
Read moreFields in Trust have condemned plans by one local council to limit their residents' access to local parks by implementing a new booking system, allowing the sell-off of swathes of green space.
Read moreWar Memorial Park in Ballymena has become the latest space in Mid and East Antrim to be protected in perpetuity with Fields in Trust. Nine parks and green spaces across the borough are now secured for future generations.
Read moreToday marks 90 years of Fields in Trust’s work to protect, support and champion parks and green spaces in Northern Ireland. In the time since 29 spaces have been protected in perpetuity.
Read moreIn the latest of our Fields in Trust staff blogs, Policy Manager Alison McCann responds to the announcement by Secretary of State, James Brokenshire MP of £13M in additional funding for parks and green spaces.
Read moreThis has been a busy year for Fields in Trust and the parks and green spaces sector as a whole. Here we take a look back on some of the highlights and events of note from 2018.
Read moreIn our first guest blog Elaine Smith MBE, Chairman of The Friends of Stanley Park and the Salisbury Woodland, discusses one year in the life of the UK's Best Park.
Read moreIn the latest of our Fields in Trust staff blogs, Policy Manager Alison McCann reflects on our commissioned piece of research, Revaluing Parks and Green Spaces, from earlier this year.
Read moreIn our latest staff blog our Head of Programmes, Angela Lewis, looks back on the World War I commemorations and discusses the legacy our Centenary Fields programme is leaving.
Read moreAll the stories from the final week of our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign which featured spaces from each of the four home nations.
Read moreSix of the spaces featured as part of Centenary Fields Legacy have links to those from Commonwealth countries who fought for and with the British Army in World War I.
Read moreAlison McCann responds to the publication of the new NHS strategy which focuses on prevention.
Read moreCentenary Fields across the UK will be holding remembrance events this week to mark the centenary of the end of World War I.
Read moreA round-up of all the stories from the thirteenth week of Centenary Fields Legacy, which featured spaces which are or include memorials to the fallen.
Read moreAhead of the conclusion of our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign in our latest staff blog our Digital & Campaigns Officer looks back on putting the campaign together and reflects on some of the stories it has told.
Read moreAs we move to within a fortnight of the centenary of the Armistice, this week our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign featured spaces covering the length and breadth of the UK – from Cornwall to the Highlands and from Norfolk to Antrim.
Read moreIn our latest staff blog Fields in Trust's Policy Manager, Alison McCann, looks ahead to Monday's Budget statement and the importance of supporting parks and green spaces to achieve multiple policy agendas.
Read moreAs we approach the centenary of the Armistice, in our latest staff blog our Head of Programmes, Angela Lewis, discusses our Centenary Fields programme and the importance of ensuring our memorial spaces remain protected in perpetuity.
Read moreThis week our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign passed its three-quarter mark, meaning there are now over 70 stories on our interactive map of spaces which are protected forever.
Read moreAs our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign moves into its final month, this week all the spaces featured served the ongoing war effort by a variety of means.
Read moreThe completion of the ninth week of our Centenary Fields Legacy programme means that 100 years ago the Great War was just five weeks from its conclusion.
Read moreThis week our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign passed its half-way point, marking 50 days since the start of the 100 Days Offensive a century ago.
Read moreToday our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign reaches its mid-point by featuring Kensington Memorial Park. It was at this space two years ago that Fields in Trust’s President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge unveiling a Centenary Fields plaque.
Read moreIt is estimated that around 70 million military personnel were mobilised during World War I with around 20 million deaths and a further 21 million wounded as a direct result of the conflict.
Read moreFour UK parks are set to benefit from £100,000 of investment which will encourage local people to get active in their local park. Capital grants from The London Marathon Charitable Trust have been awarded through the Active Spaces programme.
Read moreRemembrance is much more than just 11am on Sunday 11th November each year, and as our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign is showing, marking the events of 100 years ago can take many forms.
Read moreFrequent use of parks and green spaces is good for you, fact. But how many of us visit these free to use spaces on a regular basis?
Read moreMany acts of memorial to those who fought and fell in World War I were carried out in the years that immediately followed the end of conflict, with the personalities who didn't return still in the memories of those they left behind.
Read moreWith the fourth week of our Centenary Fields Legacy programme now complete the interactive map is starting to fill up with spaces all across the UK protected in perpetuity in memory of the millions who lost their lives during World War I.
Read moreThe third week of Centenary Fields Legacy has featured seven spaces with contemporary links to World War I.
Read moreFields in Trust has partnered with green space charity, Groundwork and The National Youth Agency, to launch 'Future Proof Parks', a £900k National Lottery-funded programme that will support Friends of parks groups and local young people
Read moreDuring the second week of Centenary Fields Legacy we have focussed in on the years which immediately followed the conclusion of conflict and the local efforts to remember those who fell.
Read moreFields in Trust this week launched our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign, where each day we'll be featuring one space protected as part of the Centenary Fields programme in memory of those who lost their lives during World War I.
Read moreAs we begin our Centenary Fields Legacy campaign Fields in Trust Head of Programmes, Angela Lewis, discusses what will be happening over the coming weeks.
Read moreAn 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.
Read moreBrindle Community Hall and its surrounding recreational land became the fifth space protected in Lancashire as part of the Centenary Fields programme last weekend.
Read moreThousands of people, in hundreds of communities across the UK, will come together this weekend to celebrate local parks and green spaces as part of Have a Field Day on Saturday 7th July.
Read moreFields in Trust are delighted to be partnering with Go Jauntly, an app which helps everyone discover local walks and adventures.
Read moreOn the first day of summer, the UK's political leaders were asked to champion the UK's parks and green spaces.
Read moreFields in Trust's new logo has been public since we launched our new strategy last month, so it is timely to examine the reasons why we reviewed and updated our visual identity and branding.
Read more16th July marks the 80th anniversary of the legal protection of The King George V Playing Field at Sonning in Berkshire in 1938.
Read moreAs this year’s Volunteers’ Week draw to a close, here at Fields in Trust we want to say our thank you to those green space guardians who go the extra mile for our nation’s parks and green spaces.
Read moreEarlier this month we launched “Revaluing Parks and Green Spaces” our innovative research measuring the economic and wellbeing value that parks and green spaces contribute to individuals.
Read moreIn the latest in our series of blogs, Fields in Trust Development Manager, Terry Housden, writes about the work of our Centenary Fields programme protecting war memorial parks and their legacies from a century ago.
Read moreBirch Gardens in Leek has become the latest space in Staffordshire protected as part of the Centenary Fields programme.
Read moreNew research from Fields in Trust demonstrate that parks and green spaces across the United Kingdom provide people with over £34 billion of health and wellbeing benefits.
Read moreSunday 1st April 2018 Fields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, has hit out at reported plans by one town council to sell its green space and instead provide residents with "permanent parks" through virtual reality headsets.
Read moreFields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, comments on a trio of recently published reports into parks and green spaces and looks ahead to Fields in Trust's own forthcoming research report.
Read moreThis week Prime Minister Theresa May announced a major overhaul to the National Planning Policy Framework, "to provide a comprehensive approach for planners, developers and councils".
Read moreFields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, comments on the recently published review of local council finance and its potential implications for parks and green spaces.
Read moreBlackpool's Stanley Park, has been voted by the public as the UK's Best Park at the prestigious annual Fields in Trust Awards 2017.
Read moreCentenary Fields, our nationwide programme commemorating World War I, has now registered its 100th site with the Cropwell Bishop Memorial Hall site in Nottinghamshire achieving protected status.
Read moreThe shortlists for this year's Fields in Trust Awards have been announced. Winners in nine categories will be celebrated at a ceremony on Wednesday 29th November at Lord's Cricket Ground in London.
Read moreWe are delighted to reveal the shortlists for this year's Fields in Trust Awards, with the winners due to be announced at the Awards Ceremony on 29th November.
Read moreAs voting opens for the UK's Best Park award, Fields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, discusses how our parks and green spaces positively impact our health and wellbeing.
Read moreAn area of public open space at Lynnsport has been protected by Fields in Trust as part of the Active Spaces programme. The programme secures recreational land development in perpetuity and supports community use of the site.
Read moreDo you think that your local park, playground or playing field is the best in the country? Here's your chance to prove it. National charity Fields in Trust have launched this year's campaign to find the UK's Best Park.
Read moreParks and Green Spaces Minister, Marcus Jones MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Minister for Local Government has announced the creation of a 'Parks Action Group'.
Read moreNominations are now open for the 2017 Fields in Trust Awards, our annual showcase of the hard work of green space champions across the UK; nominations are invited in nine separate categories.
Read moreFields in Trust Cymru is supported and advised by a Welsh Committee who apply their skills and experience to support the work of Fields in Trust as volunteers.
Read moreFields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, today joined Parks and Green Spaces Minister Marcus Jones as he visited Rugby's award winning green spaces.
Read moreEast Belfast's Cregagh Green is the first project in the UK to be awarded funding by the London Marathon Charitable Trust (LMCT) as part of the Active Spaces programme.
Read moreMore trips, to more parks, more often is good for health and wellbeing. Greenspace Map provides a baseline for monitoring local provision.
Read moreIn the latest in our series of blogs, Fields in Trust's Head of Programmes, Angela Lewis, writes about her Grandad's involvement in World War I.
Read moreHundreds of communities across the UK will come together tomorrow to celebrate our local parks and green spaces as part of Have a Field Day.
Read moreThe Fields in Trust submission to last year's Parliamentary Inquiry into the Future of Public Parks called for a change in the way public green space is conceived.
Read moreIn this article Fields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, introduces our Impact Report for 2016 and highlights key achievements of our work over the last year.
Read moreIn the latest in our series of blogs, Fields in Trust's Head of Programmes, Angela Lewis, writes for International Women's Day about getting more women and girls involved in sport.
Read moreLeading environmental community charity Groundwork UK today launch their new Youth Network, inviting applications for Young Green Ambassadors from those passionate about their local environment.
Read moreIn the latest in our series of blogs, Fields in Trust calls for us to love our local parks this summer.
Read moreAshtead Rye Meadows Wetlands in Surrey has become the latest site protected under the Centenary Fields programme and celebrated its new status with a plaque unveiling ceremony earlier this week.
Read moreA new Fields in Trust protection programme will create a legacy of 50 permanently safeguarded outdoor spaces across the UK and tackle physical inactivity.
Read moreIn advance of the General Election on 8th June we launch our Manifesto for Parks. This election presents an opportunity to ensure the UK's parks, playing fields and green spaces are addressed as a vital national issue by the next government.
Read moreFields in Trust, in partnership with HAB Housing, are marking an innovative collaboration which will secure recreational land in perpetuity as part of a new housing development at Winchester, Hampshire.
Read moreFields in Trust welcomes a new report from the Association of Play Industries (API) into the state of England's playgrounds and supports calls for increased investment that will positively impact the health and wellbeing of children and young people.
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