Description

An article published by Lancaster Guardian on the Active Parks Research Project. 

A project to find new ways of encouraging people to take physical activity in their local park will be showcasing an interactive xylophone specially designed with park users in mind in Lancaster City Centre later this month.

Lancaster City Council has been working in partnership with Lancaster University, the Friends of Ryelands Park and NHS Lancashire Public Health to find new ways of motivating the local community to take physical activity in their local park. 

The project aims to deliver an innovative Œhealth trail¹ within Ryelands Park which has been identified within the parks master plan.  Subject to funding, the group is focusing on the delivery of the Active Parks project which could include the installation of interactive equipment such as a giant xylophone as well as a BMX track as the next phase of the park's development.

Active Parks has been running a number of Œco-design¹ workshops with local residents to share their experiences of using the park and come up with ideas which will help designers from Lancaster University create plans or prototypes of the ideas using creative tools. 

Following the successful testing of an interactive xylophone in Ryelands Park earlier this year, the Active Parks team has redesigned the xylophone based on the visitor feedback received on the day and will be bringing it to Lancaster¹s Market Square on Wednesday, August 20 (10am ­ 2pm) for local shoppers to enjoy.

 It allows people play music, have fun, connect with other people and exercise at the same time by simply touching elements of the xylophone that have technology embedded in it. The new playful version of the xylophone to be showcased in Market Square features lights as well as sound.

The Active Parks project is now exploring how to engage older park users in taking casual physical activity through playful interactions. Working together with the Friends of Ryelands Park, Lancaster City Council and NHS Lancashire Public Health, the project has already seen the co-designing of a digital health trail, which offers a new way of encouraging local people to benefit from taking casual physical activity in their local park.

 For more information on the project visit www.imagination.lancs.ac.uk/activities/Active_Parks or  www.facebook.com/RyelandsPark