What is a Friends Group?
A Friends of Parks Group is a constituted group made up of a group of people or ‘Friends’ passionate about looking after their local park or green space. Friends groups work in partnership with Plymouth City Council to enhance the green space, to meet the needs of their local community.
What do they do?
Friends groups get involved in a huge range of things including running community events, conservation activities and practical activities like gardening, litter picking as well as linking in to the variety of campaigns surrounding parks and greenspace. Activities can include;
- Promoting your local space and providing feedback to the local Council
- Helping with anything from planting bulbs and conservation tasks to litter picking and tidy up days
- Putting on local community events such as family fun days, arts events, music in the park and more
- Fundraising, accessing grants and lottery monies for the benefit of the park
- Carrying out user surveys and collecting local views about the park
- Designing information and educational leaflets about the park (such as a guide to trees/plants in the park or a local history of the park) in partnership with the Council
- Producing and updating your groups website and/or social media platforms
- Contributing to the production of parks management plans and helping shape the future improvements to the green space or park
Friends Groups in Plymouth
We currently have 16 Friends groups across the city in our parks and greenspaces and they are always happy to have new members join.
Here is a list of all the different friends groups we have in the city;
Astor Park
Blockhouse Park (STAR)
Central Park
Devonport Park
Freedom Fields Park
Friends of Efford Marsh
Friends of Enresettle
Friends of Ham Woods
Friends of Radford Woods
Friends of Wyndham Square
Hoe Residents Association
Moorview Park
Pathfields Plympton St Maurice
St Levan Park
Tothill Park
Victoria Park
If you want to get in touch with any of the groups mentioned above, visit the contacts page, where you can contact the group as well as other useful contacts for friends groups.
If you know there is a need for a group in your local park, why not visit the How to Set up a Friends Group page to find out how you can help set one up. There is lots of useful information, examples and links on becoming a sucessful friends group with advice and support.
