Love Parks Week - The Best Parks to Visit in the North West This Summer

Love Parks Week takes place from the 25th of July to the 3rd of August. This week-long celebration of outdoor spaces highlights the vital role they play in our communities, and all the ways in which parks and green spaces can improve our physical and mental health and wellbeing and bring us together.

In honour of Love Parks Week, we’re explaining how you can get involved and sharing some of the best parks to visit in the North West this summer.

How to Get Involved With Love Parks Week

There are lots of ways you can get involved in this year’s Love Parks Week.

Follow Keep Britain Tidy on Facebook or Instagram and join in on social media by sharing photos and reasons why you love your favourite park. Use the hashtag #LoveParks to share and discover local green spaces.

If you help to manage or take care of a park or green space in your local area, you can also sign-up and share details of any events you’ll be holding to encourage people to visit during Love Parks Week.

Of course, one of the main ways to get involved with Love Parks Week this summer, is to visit one of the UK’s many free parks and green spaces!

The Best Parks to Visit in the North West This Summer

Here in the North West, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to green spaces. Here are just a few of the fantastic free parks you could visit this summer…

Thompson Park, Burnley

Thompson Park in Burnley is the perfect spot for a family day out during the summer holidays. With a children’s playground, boating lake, Italian gardens, paddling pool and a miniature railway, there’s plenty to keep the whole family entertained.

The park is free to enter, and the car parking charges are reasonable at £2.50 per car per day. It’s also close to Burnley town centre and bus station if you’re travelling by public transport. Bring a picnic to refuel or grab something from the Boathouse Café. The park also has public toilets and a Changing Places Toilet that can be accessed with a RADAR key.

Shibden Park, Halifax

The Shibden Estate in West Yorkshire boasts a 15th-century hall, and lots to see and do including a miniature railway, walking trails, a boating lake, a children’s play area, and beautiful woodland to enjoy.

Tickets are required to visit the hall itself but entry to the park and grounds is free, and you can make a day of it by taking a picnic or enjoying a bite to eat at the café by the lake.

Heaton Park, Manchester

The North West’s biggest park, Heaton Park in Manchester has a dizzying array of activities and sights. So much so that you might have trouble packing everything into just one visit! Fortunately, entry to the park is free, so you can come back again and again to enjoy what the park has to offer.

Popular attractions include historical buildings, a lake with rowing boats and pedalos for hire, and a free animal centre, open daily between 10am and 4pm. Here, children can get up-close to farmyard favourites like goats, chickens and pigs, plus more exotic species like alpacas!

Astley Hall, Coach House and Park, Chorley

Whether the kids need to burn off some energy on a sports pitch or playground, or you fancy a stroll around a scenic walled garden and Grade I listed historic house, Astley Park in Chorley is a firm family favourite in the summer holidays and for good reason!

The 43.75 hectare park also has beautiful woodlands to explore, a sensory park, and Pets Corner, as well as a gift shop, information centre and café, so there’s something for everyone.

Birkenhead Park, Merseyside

Nestled in the heart of Wirral, and standing at a whopping 140 acres, Birkenhead Park is a firm favourite among local families, but did you know, it also inspired one of the world’s most famous parks?

Opened in 1847, with the aim of improving health in the region, the park formed the blueprint for Central Park in New York!

As well as a playground and facilities for a wide range of sports, including tennis, rugby, cricket, bowls and cycling, visitors can also enjoy wildlife spotting, bird-watching, fishing, and walking trails.

Open all year-round and with a programme of regular events, Birkenhead Park is free to visit, and ideal for a family day out in the North West.

Walton Hall and Gardens, Warrington

Free to enter, dog-friendly and home to a children’s zoo, the historic Walton Hall and Gardens on the outskirts of Warrington is a must-visit this summer.

As well as the beautiful gardens and fascinating wildlife, there’s also a glasshouse, a children’s playground and a dog-friendly café, perfect for foster families with pets.

Other activities and attractions, such as high ropes, bowls and adventure golf are available for a charge. There’s even a Cycle Museum, with tours by appointment!

Stanley Park, Blackpool

During Love Parks Week, Stanley Park in Blackpool will be hosting a series of special events, including circus skills, superhero games and a sports day!

Open until dusk every day of the year, the park has a themed play area, a BMX track, nature trails, tennis courts and a boating lake. The park is also home to Blackpool Model Village.

Olive Branch Fostering - Building & Supporting Communities

We hope you’ve enjoyed our round up of the best parks to visit in the North West this summer!

Here at Olive Branch Fostering we understand the importance of community and of shared outdoor spaces that we can all enjoy. We know the difference that safe, free green spaces make to our foster families, and the role they play in promoting health and wellbeing. That’s why we’re supporting #LoveParksWeek and encouraging our families to get involved.

If you’re thinking of fostering and want to be part of a supportive fostering community, we’d love to hear from you. Talk to us today about becoming a foster carer with Olive Branch.

We’d like to wish all of our families a wonderful summer visiting new places, trying new things and making new memories.