"Love Parks Week (from 28 July) is an annual campaign to celebrate parks, green spaces and the dedicated volunteers and workers that look after them all year round. We’re fortunate to have many wonderful parks and green spaces in our local area, which allow people to come together, relax and connect with nature.
In Stroud, Stratford Park, which is managed by the district council, offers a wide range of recreational activities on the 56-acre site including an arboretum, miniature railway, children’s play area, skatepark, tennis courts, bowling green, lake, museum and a wonderful walled garden. Stratford Park also hosts numerous events including Sunday afternoon bands at the bandstand throughout the summer, and a weekly parkrun all year round. Thanks to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s recent environmental improvements work, the lake, stream and pond now have improved habitats to attract an even greater variety of wildlife.
In the heart of the park, the Stratford Park Leisure Centre and Lido offer swimming and other sports activities. Last week the council made a big decision about the future of these leisure services, and we agreed to bring them ‘in-house’, from November next year, when the current leisure management contract ends. We’ll set up a new Council Leisure Services Team, to manage both The Pulse leisure centre in Dursley (which is already a popular, council-run pool, gym and fitness centre) as well as Stratford Park leisure centre in Stroud. This change will allow us to provide even more health and wellbeing services to residents, and to further invest in the facilities.
We’re also committed to making our buildings more environmentally sustainable, and work will soon be starting on a £5 million project to switch the end-of-life gas boilers to new renewable energy heat pumps at both leisure centres in Stroud and Dursley, as well as the Museum in the Park."
Cllr Catherine Braun
Leader, Stroud District Council