Press Release 17 June 2008

To celebrate Love Parks Week 2008, children from Eureka Primary School are joining Rosalind Allen of Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire and Cllr Heather Wheeler, Leader of South Derbyshire District Council to discover the treasures in Eureka Park.

Love Parks Week is an annual campaign promoting parks in Britain. This year it is highlighting parks as places for children to exercise.

As well as helping the youngsters from Eureka Park develop a love of nature, Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire is working with South Derbyshire District Council to develop plans for the park. Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire works with partners to improve the quality of the local environment, the lives of local people and the profitability of local business.

Says Cllr Heather Wheeler, Leader of South Derbyshire District Council, "Everyone loves parks. They are green oases in our towns where you can escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life and lower your stress levels. Parks are places where children can let their imagination take over and spend time with nature and exercise. As we said in our Corporate Plan, we want to help make everyone in South Derbyshire healthier. Our parks are places where you can reduce stress and enjoy exercising for free in the fresh air."

"In South Derbyshire we like to involve people in their local park. Working with Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire, we can show children from Eureka Primary School the wealth of nature on their doorsteps."

At Eureka Park Rosalind Allen will be involving youngsters in mini-beast hunts, showing them how to identify trees and organising an orienteering exercise to get them to explore the park.

Says Rosalind Allen, "Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire is committed to working with local people to conserve, celebrate and improve their environment. These school activities will help the youngsters to appreciate the value of the green spaces all around us and shows the value of our parks as an educational resource."