Love Parks Week activities

This Love Parks Week, we are encouraging residents across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole to visit local parks and discover what they have to offer.

During the week-long celebration of parks by Keep Britain Tidy which runs until Sunday 6 August, and continuing throughout the summer, residents across the conurbation can immerse themselves in nature with a packed schedule of activities in parks delivered by our charity.

Residents can enjoy more than 130 activities in August, most of which are free to attend, including nature discovery activities, crafts, and wildlife walks through our Green Heart Parks project which will offer fun for all the family, as well as wellbeing activities for adults through our Parks in Mind project.

The Parks Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Cathi Farrer, said: “Love Parks Week is a brilliant opportunity to check out what’s on in your local park, or maybe discover a park you haven’t been to before.

“Spending time outdoors in nature is good for our physical and mental wellbeing, and our parks and greenspaces have never been more important. We want our activities to offer local residents and communities the chance to spend time in a park, connect with nature and other people, and have fun!

“This summer, we have even more activities than ever – from building habitats like bird boxes, bat boxes, and bee homes, nocturnal nature walks, and minibeast hunts, to urban foraging, yoga, and stargazing – there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”

Activities are taking place in various urban parks across the Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole area.

We also operate volunteer-led community cafés at Winton Recreation Ground, Redhill Park, Boscombe Chine Gardens, and Kingfisher Barn Visitor Centre offering the chance to take a seat, relax, and have a brew which helps local parks too. All profits from the cafés are reinvested into local parks in the area.

The cafés are serving hot and cold drinks, ice creams, breakfasts, lunches, and snacks seven days a week throughout the summer. Visitors to Boscombe Chine Gardens can also enjoy a round of Mini Golf.

We would like to thank the funders of our Green Heart Parks project; the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Public Health Dorset, and the New to Nature programme.

We would like to thank Bournemouth Towns Fund in Boscombe for funding our Parks in Mind project.

To find out what’s on in local parks this summer and book a place, click here.

To find out more about The Parks Foundation cafés, click here.

Published August 2023