Friends of Mansel Park

Do you enjoy exercising or walking your dog on Mansel Park?
Do your children enjoy using the play area?
Would you like to be able to discuss and implement improvements to the park?

Friends of Mansel Park is an environmental group made up of friendly local people who work hard with the Council to keep the park clean and green. You can join the group and have your say on how the park can be changed for local people. Volunteers are needed for many aspects of the group. The Committee meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 10.00 am in the MP3 Building, Evenlode Road, Millbrook, Southampton, SO16 9RS. Your input would be gratefully received.

If you have any questions or would like to help the group and their work email christopher.smith@groundwork.org.uk.

History of the group

During Autumn 1998 a consultation took place by Millbrook, Maybush and Redbridge community forum to find out peoples views on the parks in the local area. Mansel Park being the main focus.

In 1999 a mural project took place at Mansel Park involving local school children, young people and residents. This then led onto a fun day being organised in 1998 to collect ideas on improvements to the park.

Outer Shirley Regeneration were formed and won government funding for the Millbrook area. Mansel Park was identified as “an underused resource with great potential for improvement”. Therefore it was agreed Mansel Park would be part of the regeneration programme.

A group of local residents some of whom had been involved in the Millbrook, Maybush and Redbridge community forum, supported by the Shannon Project and TWICS formed as the “Friends of Mansel Park”.

Many consultation and fun events took place with the results indentifying a range of ideas including a wish for three play areas, multi use games area, increased seating, bins and youth shelter etc.

Further consultation took place with residents and local young people to draw up designs and location for the play areas, youth shelter, multi use games area etc.

In January 2009 Friends of Mansel became a section of Millbrook Community Association. The group are continuing to be a community reference group for the development of plans and the implementation and maintenance of improvements to the park and its play areas.

Mansel Park, Evenlode Road, Millbrook, Southampton, SO16 9RS.