Active Parks - The People's Park

People's Park is one of the finest surviving examples of a "Joseph Paxton" Park.

Created in 1857, the Park was donated to the people of Halifax by Sir Francis Crossley. It is to be maintained by Calderdale Council, then the 'Halifax Corporation', for all time.

To the west of the town centre, the 12.5 acre park is in the heart of a conservation area. It provides a green and pleasant haven for the people of Calderdale.

The Park Partnership Group

The Park Ward Parks Partnership Group was formed in August 2023 to ensure a joined up approach was taken to improving identified parks and greenspaces in the area. The group meets every 6-8 weeks in person to support the process of coproducing and overseeing improvement plans, based on community insight. The group includes colleagues from various teams within Calderdale Council including Green Spaces and Street Scene, Neighbourhoods, Community Safety, Countrysides, Corporate Assets and Facilities Management (CAFM) and a number of other local organisations such as Visits Unlimited, Halifax Opportunities Trust, Calderdale College, Pellon Together, 51st Pellon Scouts and more.

From understanding potential improvements, engaging and codesigning with the community, implementing improvements and evaluation, each member of the partnership have committed to their roles and are an essential asset in the success of the Active Parks project.

Community engagement & collaboration

Local organisations supported the gathering of insight around how local people felt about People’s Park and how their experience could be improved. A short survey was created to support community conversations which led to the improvement plan being populated.

What has been delivered

Improvements have included:

• The instillation of measured routes and active dots

• Improving the visibility through fining the hedges against Hopwood Lane to ensure people feel safer

• Contributing towards the newly refurbished bandstand

• Refurbished benches (currently in the process of this)

• Refurbished noticeboards (allocated but awaiting installation)

Feedback has been positive with local residents commenting on how the improved visibility makes them feel safer, particularly women.