Parks ‘are silver lining’ of the crunch
Reporter: Marina Berry
Date published: 10 August 2009
OLDHAM is blessed with a wealth of parks and green spaces, and no one is more than a 10-minute walk away from being able to enjoy the great outdoors.
The surprise statement comes from Oldham’s parks and countryside boss Steve Smith, who believes the recession will help boost community spirit.
He said lack of money will keep people at home, encourage them to look for entertainment locally and get involved with activities in the borough.
“The silver lining of the credit crunch is the social aspect of a community under pressure using local facilities,” he said. “It’s a subtle benefit, and while you are never going to placate people who lose their jobs, parks can take the sting out of the recession by helping parents who are trying to keep their children occupied in the school holidays.
“They provide lots of safe space for children to run around and play, and that is what Oldham’s parks are for — they are here to be used.”
He added: “People don’t need to get in their car and drive to find something to do, it’s all on the doorstep, they just need to look.”
Mr Smith heads the team responsible for maintaining the borough’s parks and green areas, and said the credit crunch had sparked a rush of people taking advantage of what they had to offer.
He said the boom in the use of public parks was almost a rebirth, and he could see them returning to the popularity of their heyday.
“When the Victorians laid them out for the middle classes, that is all they had, and people flocked into the parks to enjoy their leisure time,” he said.
“Parks were very busy then, and I believe things are turning full circle.”
Mr Smith is proud of the facilities his team works hard to preserve for local people to use.
He said: “Oldham has 21 major parks, but it also has three country parks and 10 square miles of river valleys, moorland and countryside.
“People can have a two-fold experience in one day. Take Chadderton Hall Park, for instance, where people can take their children to play on the swings then go into the cafe for a cheap meal.
“Then they can walk the five-mile round trip from there to Tandle Hill in Royton and enjoy what a country park has to offer.
“Or they can spend the morning in Alexandra Park then walk through the Medlock Valley to Park Bridge where there is a visitors centre and a cafe. People in Oldham are really very lucky when it comes to parks and green spaces.
“Besides public parks, the borough has some great countryside which is walkable or at least a short drive away,” said Mr Smith.
Councillor John McCann, cabinet member for community services and housing, said: “Over the past few months, it is clear that people are watching where their money goes and realising that they can have a good day out in a local park and save money at the same time, which is excellent news as they are there for the enjoyment of everyone.”
Seven of the 21 parks which Oldham Council manages are Green Flag parks - a national indicator of excellence, and three more will be put forward for judging over the next three years.
To find out what your local park has to offer, log onto the parks website at www.oldhamparks.co.uk
