What is Parks4Life? Expand Parks4Life is Scotland’s first ever fund for parks and greenspaces. Managed by greenspace scotland, it aims to raise £1million this year to help support Scotland’s parks. We are raising money for an endowment fund that will enable communities to bring local parks to life.
Why do we need a parks fund? Expand In Scotland, we make 162million visits to our parks and greenspaces every year. Greenspaces are our natural health service, our children’s outdoor classrooms and our towns’ and cities’ green lungs. They bring benefits for our communities, health and wellbeing, children and young people, education, economy and the environment. Parks make our lives better. They are a much loved and greatly valued free resource for many people to enjoy. However, parks are often not protected, and many are under financial and development pressure. Most parks are managed by local councils, but in these times of austerity, they have to make difficult decisions about where their resources go. Unfortunately, this means that the money allocated to parks has been reduced and, in recent years, we’ve seen the quality of our treasured greenspaces decline significantly. Parks4Life is an opportunity for us all to take action to protect our parks for today and the future.
How does it work? Expand Parks4Life is a simple way for everyone who uses and loves Scotland’s parks to make a donation, large or small. We are delighted to have received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to kick-start the development of Parks4Life. The grant has provided pound for pound match funding to help us reach our current total of over £900,000. Our ambition is to create a multi-million-pound fund which will help to keep Scotland’s parks in good heart for future generations to enjoy. The funds will be invested to provide an endowment which will provide a steady source of funds for our treasured parks. The endowment will be used by communities to support parks improvements, activities and projects; making sure our parks are kept healthy and happy for the future. Even a small donation can make a big difference and help us reach the first £1million target.
What is an endowment? Expand Endowment funds are commonly used by charities and not-for-profit organisations like universities, churches and private schools. Money raised is held in an investment fund and the interest and dividends generated from that investment provides a sustainable source of income. Parks4Life is what’s called a ‘restricted endowment’. This means that the funds raised are held in perpetuity and we use the investment interest and dividends to provide grant funding to community groups to support work in local parks.
How will donations to Parks4Life be used? Expand All of the donations will be invested to provide an endowment which will provide a steady source of funds for our parks. The investment income from the endowment will be used to support parks improvements, innovations, activities and projects; making sure our parks are kept healthy and happy for the future. Once we reach the first £million, communities and other groups will be able to apply to the Parks4Life fund for grants to support their park projects and activities. The funds and grants will be managed by the trustees of the MyParkScotland charity. Funds will be distributed to support a range of different types of projects and activities in parks and greenspaces across Scotland.
Can I donate to one particular park that is special to me? Expand Parks4Life is a national fund to support all of our parks for the future and so whilst you are not able to donate to support a specific park, you can leave a comment with your donation to highlight your special park and maybe share a memory or a story about your park. If you would like to support a particular park, MyParkScotland has various projects available from local groups who are looking for donations and you can make donations to support specific parks and Friends groups. You can find out more at www.mypark.scot
Can I gift aid my donation? Expand Yes, if you are a UK taxpayer. Adding Gift Aid to your donation increases the value of your gift at no extra cost to you and is a great way to support parks. This means that if you donate £10, your donation could become £12.50 when Gift Aid is added. For your donation to qualify for Gift Aid, you must be a registered UK tax payer, have paid the same amount or more in Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in that tax year, and provide personal details for a Gift Aid declaration.
How much of my donation goes directly to parks? Expand Your donation will help us create a £million endowment fund that will then be used to create a sustainable and accessible source of funding for parks projects into the future. All of your donation, less a small deduction (typically 1.5% charged by the payment processing company, goes towards the endowment which is used to support projects in Scottish parks.
What is your management fee? Expand greenspace scotland does not charge a management fee on donations to Parks4Life, but a small charge is made by the payment processing company. The processing fee varies depending on whether you make a donation by text or online. It is typically less than 5% of donation amount.
What do you do with my personal information? Expand Parks4Life is managed by greenspace scotland. We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and maintaining the security of your personal information. We will not sell your data, share it with other third parties without your permission and we promise to keep it safe and secure. You can see more information about what personal information we collect and how we may use it on our privacy notice
Can I leave a gift or legacy in my Will to Parks4Life? Expand Thank you for considering leaving the Parks4Life a gift in your Will. Yes, you can leave a legacy or a gift to Parks4Life. Every gift in every Will, no matter how big or small, really does make a difference to Scotland’s parks and greenspaces. If you would like more information or to talk to someone in confidence about leaving a gift in your Will, please send an email to Caroline Harding or call 07825 678277 If you are updating your Will or writing a new Will, and would like to include a gift for Parks4Life, you may be asked to reference the following information: Parks4Life campaign greenspace scotland Jubilee House Forthside Way Stirling FK8 1QZ Charity Number: SC034078 If you have left a gift to Parks4Life you can tell us if you want to, and we’d love to hear, but you do not have to. If you do choose to tell us, we will give you the choice about how we talk to you in the future about our work – work made possible by gifts like yours. You are under no obligation to disclose the value or type of gift you have chosen to leave to Parks4Life, but if you choose to we will keep this information private. We assure you that your gift will be used carefully and cost-effectively so that it has the greatest possible impact. Thank you
Who should I contact if there is a problem with my donation? Expand Please send an email to Caroline Harding or call the office on 01786 849754
Why should I donate to parks when I already pay my Council Tax? Expand Parks4Life provides an opportunity for us all to support the parks and greenspace we treasure, to ensure they are kept in good heart for the future. As parks are not a statutory service for local authorities, budgets have been cut drastically and we need to find new ways of working together to finance and protect our valuable greenspace. Parks provide a free resource for people across Scotland, and if we all paid just £1 every time we visited, we would raise £162million pounds for parks.
Is Parks4Life replacing local authority funding for parks? Expand No. Parks4Life is providing a much needed opportunity to boost the resources that parks need to keep them in the condition we would all like. Your local council will still do its best to maintain and protect its greenspaces but Parks4Life ensures a sustainable source of funding for communities to access. By working together, we can all do our best to stand up for our parks.