New Peterborough park with adventure trail, playground, outdoor gym and table tennis opens

A new park in Peterborough with a host of facilities has opened in Millfield.
The opening day event at the new parkThe opening day event at the new park
The opening day event at the new park

Green space between Gladstone Street and Bourges Boulevard has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past few months, creating the new Connect Park which includes an adventure trail, playground, outdoor gym equipment and table tennis facilities. The park was created after Peterborough City Council, in conjunction with Gladstone Connect and the local community, successfully applied for just over £97,000 of funding. Connect Park was officially opened at a special event on Saturday by Gillian Beasley, council chief executive, and David Jost, the secretary of Gladstone Connect. Opening day activities included arts and crafts, face painting, a treasure hunt and live music. James Collingridge, head of environmental partnerships for the council, said: “Connect Park is going to be real asset for the community. We are committed to supporting healthy communities across the city and ensuring people have green spaces close to where they live. In this instance, we’ve engaged with residents to find out what they want and worked hard with our partners to turn their ideas into a reality.” The funding bid was made to WREN, a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community, biodiversity and heritage projects from funds donated by FCC Environment, a waste and resources company, through the Landfill Communities Fund. Last year the council held a public consultation with residents in Millfield and asked for their views on how the area could be improved. This led to Connect Park being constructed as well as new play equipment being installed in the nearby Russell Street, Hobson and New England playgrounds. An outdoor gym based in Gladstone recreation ground was also opened in November 2018. The gym, which was the first of its kind in Peterborough, features 12 fitness stations allowing 20 users at once to enjoy free exercise. Rebecca Stephens, city manager of gigabit broadband provider CityFibre Peterborough, which sponsored activities at the opening event, added: “We were delighted to sponsor the launch event of Peterborough City Council’s new Connect Park. Connecting, whether it’s by meeting people in the park to enjoy its facilities or using next generation digital connectivity to access the latest tech innovations, can enrich lives and local communities.”