Cassiobury Park could do more for Teenagers (From Watford Observer)

Cassiobury Park could do more for Teenagers

7:13pm Tuesday 6th September 2011

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Cassiobury Park attracts many visitors each year to its wonderful fields and surroundings. The council could try harder to attract teenagers to the park because at the moment there isn’t much appeal for today’s youth. As a teenager myself, I believe that the attractions at the park are currently suited for adults and their young children. The park should be more appropriate for teenagers, a thought which is shared by many others.

Cassiobury Park’s main entertainment choices are the children’s miniature railway, children’s paddling pools, children’s playground, the cha-cha cafe, tennis courts, cricket and football pitches. Out of all of those options, the only ones really suitable for teenagers are football, tennis and cricket, which shows that the park really doesn’t have that much to offer to my generation.

After undertaking specific research with teenagers, there have been several suggestions on how the park could be enhanced for our age group. It was recommended that the football pitches and goal frames should stay up for the whole of the summer along with permanently attached nets. The weather is at its best in the summer and as a result the football pitches would certainly be used far more than in they would be in the winter.

Another suggestion was that paddling pools for ages 11 and upwards are required because teenagers are not allowed to go in the current ones as the age limit is 11. It would appear that the council do not realise how much teenagers want to use the children’s paddling pools as there is no other option. This idea is believed to be the most essential according to my research.

It was proposed that more events should be held in Cassiobury Park as the summer fair and the fireworks are the only events that take place every the year. A few have mentioned that more hang-out shelter areas should be built. This was recommended so that people can still visit the park when it is raining and stay in the shade when it’s really sunny.

There are benefits that the council will receive if they do more to attract teenagers to the park. If the council can bring teenagers to the park then it has more chance of keeping them off the streets where they might trouble through boredom. This could save the council money as there would be less crime, leaving police to deal with other matters.

Other improvements to the park could be made by dealing with the litter problem. If the council placed animal proof shutters on the bins, like they do in Canada, then they would save money. This is because the groundskeepers who clean up the park wouldn’t have to work as many hours picking up litter around bins which would mean less overtime, saving the council money. Residents and visitors of Cassiobury Park quite often pass the blame onto teenagers when it is actually the wildlife creating rubbish like foxes, badgers and crows. If this matter was resolved, teenagers would have better reputation with elder generations that use the park.

If Cassiobury Park makes all the necessary developments then its status as one of the best parks in Hertfordshire would be assured!

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