Local charity Your Park Bristol & Bath has completed work on its first major park transformation project, with Brickfields Park in Bath reimagined to make it more accessible and inclusive.
Welcoming the changes at Brickfields Park in Bath | Photo © Mark Simmons
The park in Bath has had a £75,000 transformation thanks to a partnership project with Bath & North East Somerset Council, with a particular focus on improving access and inclusivity for women and girls.
The park has historically been under-used. The improvements have been designed to attract a wider range of people wanting to use it, including three new social seating areas with natural climbing play elements, a five-way swing, play bars, and hedgerow adjustments to improve visibility and safety.
In Bristol, Hartcliffe Millennium Green has undergone a £95,000 transformation, making it one of the first parks in the UK to be designed to be accessible for people with all physical disabilities and impairments.
In collaboration with local disabled people and carers and the park’s Friends of Group, the charity has led/delivered improvements including a wider entranceway, smooth resurfaced paths, sensory markers, raised planters, new gates, and additional seating.
A large shelter has also been installed to create a welcoming space for young people, while a sensory garden, designed specifically for people with sensory disabilities, will be planted this spring.
Both projects were created in partnership with their local community, ensuring that the changes reflect the needs of local people.
For Brickfields Park, Your Park Bristol & Bath also partnered with another charity, Make Space for Girls, and Hayesfield School to understand how young people, particularly teenage girls, use the space and what improvements would encourage them to visit more often.
Findings revealed that girls were far less likely to use the park’s sports facilities or visit independently, highlighting the importance of designing spaces that feel safe and welcoming for all.
Charlee Bennett, chief executive of Your Park Bristol & Bath, said: “We are incredibly proud to have completed these two exemplar park projects. Seeing first-hand the real benefits the community gets from the reimagined spaces is so rewarding.
“This is just the start of our ambition to reimagine parks and green spaces across our two cities, and we hope they will demonstrate how simple changes can have an enormous impact on local people’s lives.
“We’re so grateful to the local people that shared their experiences and gave their time to help us shape the plans for these two parks, as well as our funders and everybody involved in the transformations.
“We all need and benefit from time spent in nature, so it’s vital everyone can access spaces on their doorstep. Plans are already underway to start reimagining more parks in Bristol and Bath, so watch this space!”
Martha Johnston, a local student who contributed to the Brickfields Park project, said: “It’s been great to connect with the community and the park, and it’s amazing to be able to say, ‘I helped with that!’ I will definitely use the park more now.
“This whole project has made me want to get out into parks more – it’s nice to know this is waiting for me when I need a break from coursework and exams.”
Cllr Tim Ball, cabinet member for neighbourhood services at B&NES Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see children being able to enjoy more play opportunities with the new equipment at the park, as well as it now being a safer and more comfortable place for young people to socialise in the great outdoors.
“We know there are many barriers to women and girls feeling safe in parks and green spaces and these improvements will make Brickfields Park more inclusive and accessible.
“Thank you to everyone involved in the project, including our brilliant parks team.”
The projects are part of Your Park Bristol & Bath’s Reimagining Parks campaign, which launched in 2024 to tackle the barriers it estimates keeps a third of Bristol and Bath’s population shut out or struggling to access them.
The biggest barriers it identified include physical accessibility, personal safety, and mental wellbeing. The groups most likely to be excluded were Disabled people and their carers, women and girls, minority ethnic groups and those in low-income areas.
The Brickfields Park’s improvements were carried out in partnership with Bath & North East Somerset Council, funded through the council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions, alongside public donations to the campaign.
