DELIVERING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

The Parks for Health Toolkit News.

As set out in the new 10-year plan for the NHS, Primary Prevention, (the prevention of avoidable ill-health) lies at the heart of new Government guidance. This is supported by a promise to deliver £4.5 Billion per year of additional funding to Primary Prevention for the next 5 years. Parks and Green Spaces have a significant part to play in the prevention and treatment of avoidable ill-health; obesity, non-communicative diseases, mild mental ill-health, and medical conditions related to environmental risk factors.

The Parks for HealthToolkit was launched on Thursday 16th May 2019 in Ruskin Park Lambeth, in partnership with Lambeth Borough Council, The Friends of Ruskin Park, and Parks for London. Cllr Sonia Winifred, the Cabinet Member for Equalities and Culture Health for the London Borough of Lambeth gave the Keynote Speech. Other speakers included Kevin Crook, Assistant Director Environment, Tony Leach CEO of Parks for London, and Lucy Hadfield Chair of the Friends of Ruskin Park. The Toolkit formed the basis for the development of a Parks Health Strategy for Ruskin Park. It paves the way to deliver parks for health within Primary Prevention and opens potential interdepartmental funding opportunities. Tisdall Associates, as creator of the Toolkit, are proud to acknowledge the contribution of Parks for London and the Federation of Parks and Green Spaces in the testing and evolution of this evidence-based Toolkit.

Congratulations to the successful Bids for the National Trust/ HLF Future Parks Accelerator Fund competition: On 17th June 2019 The National Trust and HLF confirmed the eight successful bids for the £10 million Future Parks Accelerator Fund. The Parks for Health Toolkit forms part of the successful bid from Islington and Camden. Tisdall Associates have been nominated to develop a Parks Health Strategy for 168 Parks across both Boroughs. This will identify practical improvements and new interventions, opportunity for community initiatives to improve Park usage and physical activity levels and will identify opportunities to integrate Parks with Social Prescribing within these Boroughs.

To read more about The Parks for Health Initiative, visit: https://www.tisdallassociates.co.uk/free-survey-and-parks-health-toolkit

For further information please visit: http://www.tisdallassociates.co.uk

OR contact us by email:  info@tisdallassociates.co.uk