THE FRIENDS OF PLATT FIELDS

 is believed to be one of the older 'Friends of a Park' groups in the country. Established by local people in 1994, initially as a response to the proposed closure of the very popular 'Pets Corner' in the park, the group now exists to promote Platt Fields Park, encourage improvements to its physical environment and stimulate greater use of the Park by local people as a place for activities, events, recreation and leisure. 

The Friends aims to be the voice of the local communities in Fallowfield, Rusholme and Moss Side, campaigning for better facilities and improvements to their well loved and well used "People's Park of South Manchester". 

2010 was the centenary of the opening of the park - we held an impressive year-long programme of events and projects to celebrate this. 

As a Friends member you can help support and volunteer ongoing existing projects and organisations, or set up your very own project! 

We are determined to improve the infrastructure of the park for activities and events, and bring people with energy, vision and commitment to harness the very different cultural needs of the residents here. We would like to be able to show over the next 5 years what can be done to animate an inner city park in a multitude of different ways. This is the legacy of the ground-breaking Garden of Delights week. 

As a Friends group we are passionate about our park and this will translate into the work and activities that we arrange. We will also make sure that each project has a good display accompanying it, full of relevant information, as well as ensuring that there are correct policies/ procedures, documentation and archives in place for future members and the local community to preserve and maintain the park. 

If you would like to become a member of the Friends of Platt Fields Park please contact the membership secretary Kay Fletcher. Membership is just £5 (£3 retired/unwaged) and every penny goes towards improving Platt Fields Park! 

WHO ARE WE?

• We are a voluntary organisation and a registered charity (No 1086533) 
  
  
• We are always keen to increase our membership as this puts valuable funds into the kitty to improve the park. 
  
  
• Our activities are co-ordinated by a voluntary Committee, which is elected by the public every year. The Committee meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month to discuss funding and improvements to the park. 
  
  

WHAT DO WE DO?

• We have many different projects on the go all the time, some short-term, and some more ambitious and long-term; most of these require us to raise funds from outside sources to match any money available from Manchester City Council's Community & Cultural Services (CCS) department. 
  
  
• Members of the Friends have initiated, encouraged and been engaged with countless events and activities in the Park. We actively encourage cross-cultural events and projects hosted by local communities and other organisations; much of our inspiration arises from the strong belief in the accessibility of 'parks for everyone'. 
  
  
• We produce a regular Newsletter, 4 or 5 times a year, which is sent out to over 200 different bodies and individuals. 
  
  
• We hold 4 'Open Meetings' a year (usually in January, April, July and October) to advise the public of our plans and to give them the chance to voice their opinions. Everyone is invited to attend, members and enthusiasts alike. These meetings are advertised on our Web-Site, and locally, via posters at the park entrances as well as in local shops, libraries, etc. 
  
  
• We hold a regular volunteer afternoon, known as "OAM" (Once a Month) at 1.00pm on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Everyone is welcome to attend, and we attract a wide mix of people who are keen to do things to improve their local park. At these events we do a mix of gardening (weeding, planting, pruning), construction (fencing, raised beds, repairing the pizza oven, etc.), artistic projects (sculptures & mosaics) and clearing (wind blown leaves, soil, & rubbish). The cleaning of the lake (in waders) is one of our most popular activities! 
  
  
• We set up the Platt Fields Angling Club to encourage children to come to the Park and to encourage the responsible use of the lake. 
  
  
• We run specialist groups for Dog Walking, Bird Watching and Horticulture, Tree Surveying, and generally encouraging people to make the most of their local park. 
  
  
• We encourage biodiversity in the park, and are actively pursuing plans to increase the habitat for wildlife within the park. We have a comprehensive Biodiversity Plan for the park (you can view it here). 
  
  
• We are actively developing and cataloguing an archive of the park, covering its last 100 years, and we now document all projects and events which take place. If you have memories or photographs of the park then we would like to hear from you. In addition we have made a small DVD of the history of the park. 
  
  
• We even produce our own Christmas cards - to raise funds for the park. 
  
  

As a member of the Friends, you can help support our ongoing projects, add your ideas, skills and enthusiasm, organise something you are passionate about, and add your voice to our campaign to improve the environment and facilities within the park. We need your support to keep the pressure up on Manchester City Council, to maintain Platt Fields Park in the state it should be - a safe, welcoming, and green environment for everyone in the heart of the City. 

PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR CAMPAIGNING WORK TO KEEP THIS GREAT PUBLIC SPACE THRIVING WELL INTO ITS SECOND CENTURY!