Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Friends of the Parks

FRIENDS – WE ALL NEED THEM

One of the Parks Developments Teams main aims is to create a self sustaining network of community groups working in partnership with the Council towards the regeneration of the boroughs parks and open spaces.

The establishment of Friends Groups is a relatively new development within Dudley and is rapidly gaining impetus within the community. Such groups work in partnership with the Council and parks staff in not only addressing current issues but also in looking to the long term regeneration and development of their local park.

As part of our philosophy in a working partnership with the parks, it is essential that we look to develop self sustaining groups which, after an initial period of high input in the establishment phase, are able to run with reduced support enabling staff to aid development in new areas of the Borough.

We have set up a Network for Friends Groups which meets four times a year. Linking groups together enables local people to share experiences, discuss common issues and exchange ideas about projects, events etc. Such links help to establish a further support network at a grass roots level, again enabling limited resources to be maximised.

What are Friends Groups?

A Friends Group is a number of interested local people coming together with the aim of improving the appearance, facilities, conservation value and safety of their local park or open space. People will become involved at the start who already care about this, you will inevitably attract new members as you go and start to achieve things.

Why form a group?

This can be for any number of reasons, the main one being to do something positive about a park or open space. A friends group is an effective and recognised method of achieving this.

How to become a member?

There are already a number of ‘Friends Groups’ in Dudley (some of whom can be seen below), who have each been running for a short time and may have different priorities for their areas, (there are no set goals for all groups, its what you want that counts). These groups to some extent have already achieved success and learned lessons from this process, and together with the Council and this pack, would be only too willing to advise you on some do’s and don’ts.