The Royal Parks is the charity for London’s eight royal parks. We are committed to providing urban green landscapes, facilities and opportunities that can help support the wellbeing of Londoners. We firmly believe that being in nature from a young age, exploring, playing and connecting with wildlife and the outdoors can have huge benefits for children and their families.*
How many of us remember the joy we felt when we played in our local park?
With the time pressures of city life and parents’ concerns about the safety of their children, spending time outside has become something to plan and supervise, instead of something to enjoy. But the benefits of playing outdoors and in nature are immense, children are able to:
- explore and discover the outdoors, tapping into learning opportunities and their imagination
- move their bodies and develop muscles, improve balance, coordination and flexibility
- work on their motor skills, and
- support an active and healthy lifestyle for later in life.
As set in our Play Strategy, we are investing in creating new spaces and improving our current facilities, to enrich opportunities for play across the Royal Parks.
We’ve been able to complete the extension of Greenwich Park Playground and, in the coming months, Gloucester Gate Playground in The Regent’s Park, thanks to a grant from the London Marathon Charitable Trust. Part of these funds will help develop a new 3-year play project with local communities.
Play in the Park
Play in the Park is a 3-year play initiative that aims to inspire local children and families to play outdoors and in nature.
The project will engage with local communities close to Greenwich Park playground and Gloucester Gate playground in The Regent’s Park, providing play opportunities, activities and events to inspire them to go outside and play in the parks.
Our funders
The London Marathon Charitable Trust’s mission is to challenge inequality of access to physical activity by funding projects that enable people to become and remain physically active regardless of age, gender, ability, race or background.
For many children, play is a natural route into physical activity, and The Trust aims to support play projects and programmes that will provide exciting, accessible and inclusive opportunities for all children.
The Trust’s Facilities Grants programme is open for applications for play facilities and programmes in London and Surrey, that have strong community engagement and will provide access to high quality play opportunities that will inspire thousands of children to be active for life.
Get involved!
If you would like to know more about the activities available in your area, please fill complete our enquiry form.
* The Benefits of Outdoor Play, Play Scotland, 2018