A park situated in any village, town or city is a foundamental piece of a puzzle to its surrounding community! When I think of a park, any park, I tend to think of it as a place for people to recreate and connect with nature and history, and they also provide places for people to have fun, to find mental, physical, and spiritual health. To put it in a less words full of perspective; people find their social wellbeing.

Not many parks are the same, in fact, I don't think any of them are.

Today's article is about Marple Memorial Park, which is situated in a town with around 22k residents, and is also a town where I live. Marple has only one main park, which is Marple Memorial Park, with a few surrounding smaller parks and a good amount of greenery all around.

The main entrance to the park is the one leading to it from the very center of Marple town. A not so narrow lane will take you down towards its war memorial, which is dedicated to fallen war personel in WWI and WWII who were from the town of Marple. Sadly, 141 were destined never to return.

Park itself is of a decent size and it fits weel to its town's population and area. An interesting feature is its downward slope once you go past park's war memorial, and that slope continues all the way down to one of Marple's many canals. Park was opened back in 1922, after local families in possesion of the land on which the park stands today, decided to donate it and preserve some greenery for the future generations.
Marple Memorial Park is at the heart of the local community and has a great diversity of what it holds innside its vacinity. You'll find a library, health centre, veterans bowling club, skate park, a few children's playgrounds, teen seating area, and a numerous amount of benches to rest.

Photo above shows more about French Boules, which are commonly played in the park. And a photo below is the terain which is used for playing lawn bowls.

The park is a good starting point for local walks or for exploring local history. Whichever way you come in to the park and then exit, it'll lead you to a new area to explore. Park itself has more history to share with you if you ever visit, apart from already explained war memorial, you can find many wooden sculptures, sensory gardens, and other heritage features such as Mellor Mill datestone which originates from the nearby mill that burned down in the late 19th century.

You can do pretty much anything in the park as long as you're respectful and do clean up after yourself. Most people walk their dogs, which are allowed to run free, as long as they don't pose a danger to anyone, and of course as long as the owner will clean up after them.

Not all the lawn/grass is cut as they tend to keep some of the smallest of wildlife visiting the area, and it gives not only bees a space to roam free but our dogs, who are of course big big fans of tall grass. (As long as we check them for ticks at the end of their grassland adventure).

There's a group called charity group called Friends of Marrple Memorial Park, and they are the ones who keep this park going! As stated on their website and I quote:

"Friends of Memorial Park" are a group of local people whose aim is to provide opportunities for community members to improve and promote the use, awareness and care of facilities within Marple Memorial Park in order to make the park a welcoming, safe and enjoyable environment for all."

They are a fantastic team of volunteers who do their best to maintain this good sized patch of greenery as to what it is suppose to be, and we're lucky to have them! Just seen on their website there'll be many projects coming up, including park benches renovation, skate park improvements, new bird & bat boxes, and many more.

Wildlife is a part of Marple Memorial Park and throughout the day you'll see many species of birds, insects,and a whole lot of grey squirrels, as at night don't be surprised to come across a badger or a fox.

An oak tree which was planted as part of the Queen's Coronation celebrations in 1953 and a Coronation bench wrapped around the tree made in 2005. It's up for restoration in the following year.

If instead of going down the slope and passing the greenery for bowls, and you turn right at the war memorial, you'll come to something more suitable for our youth, mainly. Yes, a skate park. Skate park is of a good size and is suitable for anyone knowing how to skate or or anyone that like seeing people skate. It's currently going through it's needed refurbishment and extension which everyone that isn't over the age of 21 has been looking for since its announcement. That said, we all are looking for it being sorted out, so it'll be able to stand out as a modern facility in an amazing looking park. Not to forget to mention a basketball court which isn't used much but it is still there.

Marple Skate Park and Marple's youth, who unlike me knows how to skate.

Last but not least, a road that leaves down the slope towards Marple's many canals, and closest canal to Marple Memorial Park.

Views from the park itself are incredible as you get the glimpse of Marple's surrounding hills...and of course the road down towards Marple's canals.

There are houses, offices, amenities and more scattered along the canals of Marple and views in every season of the year are nothing shy of being breathtaking.

I can't end an article about a Marple Memorial park without adding a photo of a sunset taken in the autumn of 2019 in the same park.

Every year in the month of June, Marple town organises a carnival, which is held in the park itself whilst the street parade happens on the main road. It lasts for 3 days and is packed with everything to keep us entertained as well as that, it brings some of the well needed financial boost to the town itself.

Marple Carnival on the photos above and below, parts of street parade which is mostly made out of different charities, who then collect any donations along the way down a two mile distance.

My daughter getting her face painted by local scouts a couple of years ago at the Marple Carnival held annually in Marple Memorial Park. Skate park and and basketball court visible in the background.

It'd be silly not to mention that you can spend a whole day in this park without getting bored or running out of ideas. People will go for a walk, fly a kite, have a picnic, play games, or enjoy a bunch of other activities possible. We as a family if time and weather permitting will do all of the above mentioned activities.

Parks are more then just some greenery and a shortcut through the town, village or a city itself! They are the lungs of the community, and a place where we can do much more then just say hello to each other!

All of the photos used were taken by me in the period of the past few years.

Thanks for stopping by and take care!