This week marks Why Amenity Matters Week

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‘Why Amenity Matters Week’ highlights green spaces and champions the ‘heroes’ who maintain the UK’s urban landscape.

This week marks Why Amenity Matters Week. Through the eyes of the Colins family, the campaign encourages families and friends to celebrate the enjoyment of our local parks and sports grounds and recognise the contribution of those who maintain our green spaces and infrastructure.

Launched by the Amenity Forum, Why Amenity Matters Week also aims to show how the UK’s urban spaces, roadside verges, trees, hedges and railway lines are maintained and how the amenity sector, responsible for caring for this managed landscape, impacts on our daily lives; helping us travel to work and enjoy leisure activities while contributing to the economy and protecting the natural environment. The campaign highlights how invasive weeds have a negative impact on the economy estimated at £1.7 billion[i] with £6 million alone being spent on controlling Japanese Knotweed on the road network in the UK.

As well as promoting the importance of the sector, the week also highlights the benefits of enjoying local parks and sports grounds as well as saluting the sector’s ‘unsung green heroes’ who care for them and ensure they are managed safely. The campaign is also designed to raise awareness among commuters of the maintenance work that goes on behind the scenes to keep the country’s railway network, stations and highways clear from weeds.

Key facts include:

  • Over 37 million people regularly use parks in the UK (over 57% of the population)[iii]
  • There are over 27,000 parks and green spaces across the UK[iv]
  • More than 18,000 miles of railway track need to be maintained[v]
  •  Trains carry 1,650 million passengers a year
  • And carry 28,000 million tons freight a year
  • Offices or homes neighbouring railways lines are occupied by more than 7 million people
  • 2500 railway stations across the UK need to be kept weed free
  • Invasive weeds have a negative impact on the economy estimated at £1.7 billion – £6 million is the total cost of controlling Japanese knotweed on the road network in Great Britain

During the week, a social media survey on Twitter is set to quiz those enjoying urban green spaces on who they think manages our amenity areas, who is responsible for keeping streets and verges weed free and who ensures our urban trees stay free of pests and disease.

At the same time, members of the Amenity Forum who range from local greenkeepers to national water companies will lift the lid on what’s involved in looking after their patch.

The Amenity Forum represents the diverse sector behind the maintenance of the managed environment; from manufacturers to suppliers, trade associations, local authorities, major users, landscape, sport and leisure. In the landscaping sector alone, 61,500 people are employed within the UK and the annual turnover for the landscaping services industry is £4 billion.

Independent Chairman of the Amenity Forum Professor John Moverley OBE said: “Most people appreciate that the environment around them is maintained in some way but fewer realise that there is a huge contribution from something called the amenity sector behind this; working to ensure our green spaces and essential infrastructure are managed safely for public enjoyment and leisure. What they do impacts upon every UK citizen every day providing a safe and healthy environment and sports and leisure areas fit for purpose’

“Studies have shown a positive and clear link between mental health and access to parks and green spaces. The Get Moving campaign was creative to help show the importance of effective and safe weed control to the smooth running of things we take for granted, such as clear pathways and roads.

“This year we want to encourage everyone to get back out into their local parks and green spaces and to recognise the contribution of those working in them to enable us to travel, keep physically active and protect the environment.

“Those responsible for weed, pest and disease control may go largely unnoticed but their work is vital in ensuring that our journeys to work, the shops, for recreation, are safe and our environment is protected and that invasive plants like Japanese Knotweed are controlled.

“During Why Amenity Matters Week why not give a thought to the green heroes who are quietly making a big impact on your enjoyment of outdoor space.”

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Research Shows Visiting Parks Contributes To Increased Well Being

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Research Shows Visiting A Park Once A Week Contributes To Increased Health And Well Being: New research from Fields in Trust demonstrates a direct and statistically significant link between publicly accessible parks and green spaces and health and well being.

Based on new analysis of existing data from Defra and Natural England and a new primary data (sample size 4,033) Fields in Trust have established, for the first time at the national level, a link between an individual’s use of parks and green spaces and an improvement in health and wellbeing (covering General Health and the four ONS wellbeing questions – life satisfaction, sense of worth, happiness and anxiety).

Research Shows Visiting A Park Once A Week Contributes To Increased Health

On average, the more frequently park/greenspace trips are made, the higher an individual’s wellbeing. The most practical and effective use of an individual’s time would be to visit their local park or green space at least once a week to gain most of the health and wellbeing benefits. This results in a recommended ‘dosage’ for parks and green space: if it is ‘Five a day’ for fruit and veg then it is ‘Once a week’ for parks.

The new research also identifies the importance of parks and green spaces as venues for community connections, helping to reduce the risk of loneliness. Research highlights links between park usage and demographics; parks and green spaces are particularly important to families who are twice as likely (33%) to be users of parks than non-users (18%).

The findings are released as Parks and Green Spaces Minister, Marcus Jones MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Minister for Local Government formally responds to the Department for Communities and Local Government Select Committee Inquiry into the Future of Public Parks. As part of his response, the Minister announced the creation of a ‘Parks Action Group’. This advisory panel, chaired by the minister, will include Fields in Trust as a member alongside other green space organisations who are tasked with applying their expertise to inform a new cross-departmental group of government departments.

Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths said: “I welcome the Ministers response to the CLG Parliamentary Committee and Fields in Trust’s appointment to the newly established “Parks Action Group” at this pivotal moment for the future of parks and green spaces. Our ongoing research recognises how these spaces help to address significant public policy issues including health and wellbeing and community integration. We are looking forward to furthering our work with colleagues across the sector to ensure that we value parks and green spaces and take account of the vital contribution they make to local communities.”

The minister’s announcement comes in the week that Fields in Trust launches UK’s Best Park Award 2017. At a time when the UK’s parks are seeing a dramatic reduction in funding for upkeep and maintenance and childhood obesity is identified as a growing concern, the UK’s Best Park award will highlight the vital role of local parks and green spaces – for play, relaxation or sport – and help ensure they are protected from closure or building development.

UK’s Best Park is a unique award open to all local green spaces across the UK. A simple online nomination form allows anyone to suggest their favourite green space. This will be followed by a public vote with the winner announced at the Fields in Trust Awards ceremony on 29th November.

The full findings of the new Fields in Trust research will be published in a full academic paper which will identify not only details of park and green space usage but will also reveal the results of a new bespoke survey identifying the value placed on parks and green spaces by those who use them.

Fields in Trust currently safeguards over 2,600 sites, a total of 30,000 acres of land (12,140ha.) including playgrounds, playing fields, and formal and informal parkland across the UK. Recreational spaces in residential areas remain a priority for protection at a time when there is pressure on land for new housing development. Parks and playing fields safeguarded with a Fields in Trust deed of dedication ensure that the land will be protected for community use, in perpetuity. Fields in Trust work to ensure that all communities, and particularly young people, should be able to enjoy healthy, active, outdoor recreation within walking distance of home.

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