ParkPlay Basildon
Free Family Activities in the Park
ParkPlay offers free, fun games and activities for families in local parks every Saturday morning, bringing together people of all ages and abilities to take part in physical activity.
There are currently six ParkPlay venues in Basildon, and the project aims to engage the whole family, utilise local green space and strengthen communities. It focuses on communities with a strong need for free, inclusive activity and attracting people who are less active and don’t feel traditional sport is for them.
The national initiative has a close association with the local Essex community. The first location was at Vange Primary School in October 2020, after the headteacher got in touch with CEO and founder Rick Jenner to ask if their playing field could become a venue. Groups of up to 90 now play here each week with activities ranging from football to dodgeball and tag to frisbee. Additional ParkPlay venues in Basildon include Northlands, Mopsies, Wickford, Lake Meadow and most recently Eversley. Eversley launched in April 2022 and are already regularly seeing between 70-90 participants each week.
Active Essex was integral to bringing ParkPlay to Essex and bringing together local partners including ATF and Basildon Council, who have been essential to the success and growth of Parkplay in Basildon. The weekend activities wouldn’t be possible without the time and dedication from the PlayLeaders, who tailor each session, which can vary from park to park.
