New lease of life for Rochdale's Stoneyfield Park supports residents' wellbeing

By Local Pilot, GM Moving | 22 February 2023 | TAGS: Local Pilot, Place based partnerships

Residents in Rochdale have been getting their hands dirty as part of the latest efforts to enhance their local greenspace and connect with nature and each other.

The Groundwork project was supported by the Bounce Back and Grow Fund from Rochdale Public Health for residents of Deeplish and Milkstone at the newly renovated Stoneyfield Park.

Community members have been busy planting flowers and vegetables into newly installed raised beds as well as various wellbeing activities including writing in a journal.

Around 70 members of the local community took part and will continue to take ownership of the growing beds, and the park as a whole, as a space to be social, active and improve mental wellbeing.

Lydia from Groundwork said:

“The activities have been really popular linking in with local schools and families. General feedback has been that the local people are looking forward to the park developing and excited by the idea.”

Stoneyfield Park transformed

The transformation of Stoneyfield Park from an unusable space to community asset has taken a number of years with the Local Pilot playing a key role in driving change in the area.

The Local Pilot is a Sport England funded scheme to test a whole systems approach to inactivity, and understand the reasons as to why people are inactive. Greater Manchester was one of 12 areas, across the country given investment through to 2025.

With the help of local pilot funding and support from Township, Your Trust and partners, residents have led the work to ensure the park is a safe and welcoming asset.

Following the fitting of drainage in the summer of 2021, more recent changes have seen the park playground resurfaced and the installation of kissing gates, benches, a noticeboard and more.

The park also has a new figure of eight tarmac path, installed in partnership with the Environmental Management team at Rochdale Borough Council, for residents to engage in gentle exercise.

Jane Gardiner, GreaterSport’s Strategic Lead – Local Pilot Network, said:

“Stoneyfield Park is a fantastic example of how Local Pilot investment can unlock previously under-used community assets to support more people to enjoy the benefits of being physically active.

“It’s been a huge effort from a number of partners and it’s fantastic to see residents taking more and more ownership of the space as that’ll ensure it’s long-term success.”

Sarah Shard, Rochdale’s Local Pilot Lead, said:

“We have received feedback from local residents and ward councillors that since the developments have been made, the park has been used more by families and local people have come to visit the park for the first time which is fantastic.”

For more information on the Local Pilot, please click here.