A much wiser man than me described our public parks as the green lungs of our cities.
Bringing welcome respite and colour to urban areas, they are also a major employer of turf professionals both directly through councils and indirectly through contracting specialists.
It was therefore worrying last week to read the Heritage Lottery Fund's latest report into the state of UK's parks, which reveals that they are facing the grim realities of harsh budget cuts.
Two years on from their first report into the state of UK parks, the downward trend in condition and maintenance which the Fund had predicted in 2014 seemingly looks set to continue with many parks and green spaces described as facing an uncertain future.
The HLF surveyed park managers across the country, revealing that 95% of them expect further budget cuts over the next three years, which they think will lead to a decline in quality, skills and morale - as well as a rise in charges, complaints and the closure of facilities.
This should be a very real concern to both professionals and the public alike.
Ros Kerslake, HLF Chief Executive said, “Put simply, parks are not a luxury. They are essential to our increasingly busy urban lives and thanks to National Lottery players they’ve never been in such great shape.
“But these are financially tough times and if we are to successfully halt the onset of decline in our parks and avoid wasting this investment, we need to come together now to find innovative and sustainable models of funding and maintaining these highly valued community spaces.”
Also discovered as part of the research is that fact that of the 189 councils questioned 98 were considering disposing of or transferring the ownership or management of their outdoor sports facilities because of funding
As a means of dealing with budget cuts, 52 of the outdoor sports facilities were expected to be transferred to local community groups, while 20 were expected to be transferred to the voluntary sector.
With only 27% of park managers reporting their parks to have been improving over the past three years (down 14% from 2014) and just 53% reporting their parks to be in a good condition (down 7% from 2014), these genuinely appear to be quite worrying times for the sector.
In a statement Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Chair of ukactive, said of our parks, "Such assets need to be protected and prioritised, not threatened with decay and closure." She went on to say the HLF's report should "stimulate an essential debate on the future of parks, including the key partnerships - both public and private - required for the future.”
And this seems to be hopefully be the key to not only their mere survival, but also to see them flourish in the future. The public and private sector working hand in hand for their betterment.
As the HLF points out, active partnerships need to be promoted. Greater collaboration and coordination is needed between local partners to share funding and expertise to maximise the efficient use of limited resources.
Community groups and volunteers of course play a vital role in our parks' wellbeing, but means to fund upkeep, carried out by skilled professionals, much be found.
