Stop Press - Let’s Play! Successful Play Pathfinder bid brings £2.5m for Bristol’s play parks

Young people in Bristol - and their families - are set to benefit from a massive £2.5m windfall, thanks to a successful city council bid to the government’s Play Pathfinder initiative. The cash boost will have a massive impact on play parks and play spaces across the city over the next three years. Find out more about the bid, view the full successful bid and check the benefits this will bring to Bristol's parks and green spaces.

Serious about play

Bristol Parks takes play seriously. There is evidence to suggest that easily accessible play

• enables children and young people to connect with the world around them
• helps children to learn to value themselves and others
• helps children set their imagination free
• is essential for healthy and well-integrated communities

In recent consultation, local children and young people told us that recreational, leisure and play opportunities were their top priority, and that under-12s rated more activities and more parks as the most important things the government could do for them.

Play provision

Play in Bristol is provided by many organisations and partnerships investing in play, including Bristol Parks which hosts over 150 children’s playgrounds with three major sites at Hengrove Play and Wheels Park, Blaise Castle Estate and Oldbury Court Estate.

Wheels parks are customised areas designed for wheel sport activities – the five major sites are at Hengrove Park, St George Park, Dame Emily Park, Filwood Park and Lawrence Weston Park.

Many sites also have games areas and teen environments.

Each park or green space webpage carries details of the site's own play facilities.

Find out more

To find out more about citywide play provision in Bristol parks and green spaces, and more general and policy-related information, follow this link.

Play events

A number of play related events take place each year. Visit What’s On to find out more. If you are interested in promoting an event in Bristol's parks and open spaces, click here for more information.

Contact us

You can call Bristol Parks on 0117 922 3719 or email: bristolparks@bristol.gov.uk  Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5pm (4.30pm Friday). Alternatively you can text us on 0771 039 6713 to report flytipping, graffiti, or make any other comments about Bristol's parks and green spaces. Please provide as much information and specific details as possible about the location attaching any supporting photographs. We will only call you back if we require further information.