Have your say on how Doncaster’s green spaces and parks can be improved

A new survey has been launched by Doncaster Council to find out what residents think of their green spaces.

Clare Henry, Public Health Lead at Doncaster Council, said: “We want residents views on parks and outdoor spaces - we know that people love their green spaces and we want to build on that to help improve them.

“We want to know what would make them want to use their parks more and what features would they like added in the future.”

The survey is made up of 20 questions, and asks those taking part to detail how often they visit green spaces and what they use them for.

There is also the opportunity to share more specific questions and hopes for parks in your area.

The information collected in this survey will be passed onto Sport England who will be considering how to action them.

Public Health England said that in 2016 19.3 per cent of people used outdoor spaces for exercise in Doncaster, which is higher than the regional average.

But the council still wants to raise the figure.

“We will be focusing on parks in the most deprived areas of Doncaster,” Clare added.

“Having access to an open green space has phenomenal benefits on your mental and physical health – we want our parks to be used to get people being more active.”

According to Clare, Doncaster has one of the worst inactivity levels in the country.

The council is hoping that by making changes to parks and outdoor spaces that they can encourage more people into using them to exercise.

She said: “Each park in Doncaster is used differently - some are used for dog walking, others have running groups or are used by children to play.

“The improvements made will be made off what residents want - and how they want to utlise the green lung of their community.”

You can take the survey here.