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Why we should all support Love Parks Week in St Neots and beyond

Next week, we’ll all have the chance to celebrate and support our favourite green spaces during #LoveParksWeek from the 23rd of July to the 1st of August.

The Keep Britain Tidy initiative, encourages people to value our nation’s parks and this year’s theme is love, respect and protect.

Over the past year, parks have been a source of joy and solace for people across the UK, providing a welcome antidote to the pressures of pandemic life as well as keeping communities healthy and happy.

Locally, Riverside and Priory park have been popular and helped keep us on an even keel during uncertain times.

While parks provide us with many things, space to exercise and socialise, some members of the public behave inconsiderately when using them. One of the biggest bugbears for park lovers is litter.

CPRE, the countryside charity, found that during the first nine months of the pandemic, littering occurred in new ways and different places.

Discarded face masks, gloves and wipes became familiar sights. Unfortunately, the longstanding foes of litter pickers were drink bottles, food wrappers and cigarette ends, present in significant numbers.

Not only is rubbish unsightly, it can cause serious harm to wild and domestic animals. In 2019/20, the RSPCA recorded over 8,000 incidents of animals injured by litter. Common issues included animals choking on or swallowing plastic or getting litter wrapped around their necks, wings, or feet.

Here are a few ways you can support Love Parks Week.

  • Always take your waste with you after a picnic or dog walk.
  • Organise a litter pick in your local park or sign up for one that is already in the pipeline.
  • If a waste bin in your local park is overflowing, report it to the council.
  • If there is a community group already established to look after your park, join it. If there isn’t one, consider starting your own. The National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces has lots of advice about how to get started.
  • Think big and come up with a major project for your park. It could involve tree planting, creating a wildflower corridor, or getting new play or sports equipment installed. There are lots of grants available for community projects.

This summer, St Neots Town Council bring you Bands In The Park down at Riverside Park.

Kicking off the weekly Sunday afternoon events are the Arcadian Ramblers on the 25th of July.
There will be different performers every week (weather depending) until the 19th of September. Parking is free and refreshments will be available to purchase at Ambience Café.

For live updates visit http://https://www.visit-stneots.co.uk or check out the Visit St Neots Facebook page.

Remember to

#LoveParks #RespectParks & #ProtectParks

From us both here at Butler Residential, have a great weekend.

Barry & Laura

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