Glasgow’s parks will host hundreds of fun and free activity sessions this year as part of a scheme to get city residents up, active and socialising in their community parks and green spaces.
Delivered by Glasgow Life in partnership with Coca-Cola Great Britain, ParkLives is an annual programme activities delivered in parks by local instructors.
The aim is to encourage as many people as possible to join informal sessions, which start this month at 10 parks including Bellahouston, Kelvingrove, Springburn, Victoria and Queen’s Park, and run throughout the year.
The introduction of the new ParkLives project comes as sports participation levels in Glasgow are a record high. Attendances at the city’s sports facilities stand at 6.6million, as more and more people get active.
The free programme is designed to appeal to all ages and abilities and will offer a wide range of sports from tennis to golf. Alongside the more traditional sports, there will be more unusual activities such as fitness bingo and baby loves disco. A full list of activities will be available at Park Lives.
Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow Life, Councillor Archie Graham, said: “Sports participation levels in Glasgow are at an all-time high as more and more people see the benefit of living a healthier lifestyle.
“We know from experience that sport can change lives and we are determined to do all we can to encourage as many people as possible to take up sport and to keep fit. ParkLives will help us to do just that with hundreds of free sessions planned over the coming months.
“There is something for all ages, from families and young people to senior citizens, with a particular focus on those who may not have taken part in any fitness related activity for some time. And with all activities completely free there is no reason for people not to get involved.”
ParkLives launched last year in Birmingham, Newcastle and the London Borough of Newham and following that success is expanding to include Glasgow, Nottingham and Manchester. The scheme is part of Coca-Cola Great Britain’s commitment to invest £20m between now and 2020 in programmes to encourage and support 1m people to be physically active.
Liz Lowe, ParkLives lead at Coca-Cola Great Britain, said: “ParkLives is all about bringing communities together to enjoy fun, free activities in their local green spaces.
“It’s an opportunity to get out and try something new with your friends and family, having fun and being active in the great outdoors.
“Glasgow’s parks are going to be buzzing with activity all summer and I hope it will inspire people to join in as many sessions as they can.”