Football in the park for Warton

The environment

Before we started our project the park was disused and overgrown, we have cleared back lot of brambles and undergrowth and planted native tress and hedgerow plants around the perimeter of the football pitch, which has enabled more wildflowers to grow in the area. with the football pitch being in constant use , we will maintain the grass and prevent it from becoming over grown.

The local economy

Th young people in the community are now able to use the park to play football and socialise, they have a safe place to meet which is over looked by local homes. We added new picnic benches to the area at the side of the football pitch older people, who live in the bungalows at the side of the park now to use the benches and interact with the young people. This helps to lessen their loneliness and social isolation but also ensures the wider community support the football project.

Volunteering, jobs & education

We have had volunteers from the community help prepare the grass to make it suitable for a pitch and help community days where parents and other volunteers helped clear the ground and plant trees, hedgerows and wild flowers.

Arts, culture & heritage

We have now re-commissioned the park which historically was an important part of the community, children are using the improved space that previous generations in their families and communities used to enjoy.

Activity, health and leisure

There was nowhere in the village for local children to gather and play sports together in a safe environment. All sports and leisure facilities were out of the village, the cricket club is located 1 1/2 miles away at the end of a road that is not safe to walk along. All this requires the support of adults to access. We have created a space for physical exercise that children access by themselves. This is open to everyone and the school and already used it a couple of times and plan to do this more in the summer.. Children are increasingly leading sedentary lives, more so for children in isolated rural communities we hope the availability of this area will reverse this in Warton. We know this is what families want as we have undertaken extensive consultation to gather their views and the football pitch was one of the most popular options.