Providing fun, free things to do for all ages, tastes and abilities was at the forefront of Horsham District Council’s celebrations for Love Parks Week last week (29 July to 6 August).
As part of the national Love Parks Week campaign which is sponsored by Keep Britain Tidy, the Council hosted a packed programme of free activities across several of its most attractive and popular sites throughout the week which brought out over a thousand participants in total.
Especially popular were The Woodland Tales shared by touring theatre group The Fabularium, who delighted packed audiences throughout the week with their open-air performances combining clowning, comedy and song to create a great spectacle. Their performances were enjoyed in Horsham Park’s Human Nature Garden, Leechpool Woods and Bennett’s Field in Horsham and Fletcher’s Croft in Steyning.
People channelled their creativity with The Girl Who Gardens at Horsham Park, Southwater Country Park Café and the Steyning Centre, making floral art designs. Our thanks go out to Steyning Parish Council and Southwater Country Park Café for the loan of their indoor venues when the weather turned wet.
Getting messy in the fresh air with Paintbox making plaster models of wildlife was also a big hit across several venues.
Record numbers came along to our Horsham Park Children’s Fun Sessions at the Park Podium bandstand with free family fun from a range of magicians, clowns and entertainers.
Another full house was the Wonderbugs Forest School activities at Leechpool Woods, inviting families and groups to take part in making woodland creations and sessions of Wild and Well Yoga, encouraging people to slow down and absorb the peaceful forest surroundings.
Commenting on the programme of events, Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Green Spaces Cllr Jon Olson said:
Love Parks Week is a national campaign, which helped to remind Horsham residents how essential our award-winning local parks and green spaces are for healthy, happy communities.
This summer, it has been particularly important to provide free outdoor activities for families across the district, and our much-loved parks, woodland and open spaces provided the perfect backdrop for everything that the Council organised this past week.
Thanks to the many residents who came along to join in the fun!
The aim of the Love Parks Week campaign is to inspire children and adults to get outdoors, enjoy the benefits of reconnecting with nature and appreciate the beauty of local parks.
For more information please visit our Love Parks Week webpage.
For media queries please email press@horsham.gov.uk .