Estate Office Grounds Friends of University Park

Welcome to the Friends of University Park Group Web Pages!

 

The Friends of University Park Group was formed in 2004 to encourage the local community to visit University Park and to enjoy its vast gardens and grounds. Although we have opened the Millennium Garden to the public for several years, this group is a relatively new venture. Each year we organise a series of events, garden walks, special open days and talks to help visitors enjoy the park.

 

Millennium Garden Lenton Firs Rock Garden

 

So many people have visited the park in the last few years and we have received two familiar comments...

 

'We didn't know the park was open to the public' and...

'We didn't think there was anything to see!'.

 

In fact, members of the public are welcome to visit University Park, to walk through the grounds and enjoy the gardens and trees. We leave you to decide if it's worth it! However, car parking can sometimes be a problem on a busy site such as this. During the week there are pay and display public car parks although space is quite limited. We would recommend that you make your visit at a weekend or on a summers evening when parking is free and far more available. Refreshments are available in a number of areas such as the DH Lawrence Centre, the Arts Centre and the Portland building.

 

Picnic in the Park 2009 North Entrance Floral Display

 

A free detailed University Park Gardens Guide and Tree Walk of is available from any of the gatehouses or from the Visitor Centre. An electronic form of the is available linked to this page.

 

In 2003 we won our first Green Flag Award. This is a national award given by the Civic Trust to parks that achieve certain standards of excellence. We have now won seven Green Flags and have entered again this year.

 

Green Flag Award Jubilee Campus Guided Tour

 

Membership of the group is free, although there may be a charge for some events that require pre-booked tickets. If you join our mailing list we will send you two newsletters each year plus information on our programme of events. You can also get involved in events such as the restoration of the Lenton Firs Rock Garden (top right), which was completed by the Friends Group and Staff.

 

For further information on the Friends of University Park Group please contact Desmond O'Grady, Grounds Manager, Estate Office on 0115 9513649. You can also write to Desmond at the address at the bottom of this page.