Norris Green East is one of four Liverpool neighbourhoods selected for Pride in Place funding. This investment is much needed, with anti-social behaviour challenges in the park in recent years underlining the need for quality, maintained play infrastructure that gives young people a reason to engage positively with their local area.
The Pride in Place programme commits up to £20 million to Norris Green East over 10 years, with Liverpool City Council’s Neighbourhood Board now being established to direct investment.
With that process now underway, Barry Leahey MBE, active supporter of children’s charity NSPCC, Play Expert and President of Playdale – one of the UK’s leading playground manufacturers – is calling on local decision-makers in Liverpool to ensure outdoor play is central to how that investment is spent.
Playdale has been designing and manufacturing play equipment, including accessible outdoor play equipment for disabled children, countrywide for 40+ years – and they’re well placed to argue that few investments deliver positive community outcomes more directly than dedicated spaces for all children to socialise, exercise and play.
The need is well-documented. Data shows that 793 play parks have closed across the UK in the last 10 years, with budgets for parks and open spaces falling by more than £350 million over the same period. The North and the Midlands have been hit hardest, with some areas seeing cuts of up to 80%.
The consequences are measurable: nearly half of UK children now never or rarely visit a playground, and childhood obesity rates have worsened as access to outdoor play has declined.
Barry Leahey MBE, President of Playdale, said: “Pride in Place funding offers Norris Green a direct route to reverse the nationwide trend in play decline – and an opportunity to lead by example through investment in something that will be used and loved for decades. Playgrounds are not an afterthought in community regeneration; they are often the most visible sign that a neighbourhood is loved and well looked after.
“We encourage Liverpool City Council to look closely at what a new or refurbished play space could do for Norris Green, and we hope this marks the start of a nationwide rebirth in communities that put children and young families first.”
Location: Norris Green