A large number of improvements have been made to green spaces across the Penistone area, following a £2.1 million parks investment in Barnsley.
Many parks across the Penistone West and Penistone East wards have already received improvements, following discussions with residents, community volunteer groups and the Barnsley Parks Services teams.
Barnsley Council’s Love Where You Live scheme received £3.5 million of funding in May 2025.
“Parks are the beating heart of our communities. They’re places where people of all ages come to enjoy the outdoors.”
Councillor James Higginbottom, Cabinet Spokesperson for Environment and Highways at Barnsley Council
Some of the locations that have seen upgrades already include Silkstone Common Rec (Mike’s Place) play area, Manor Park in Silkstone, Penistone Recreation Ground, and Church View Road in Penistone.
Cllr Higginbottom added: “The changes vary depending on the park and the area, and we’re really proud of that because that means that we’ve listened to what people have told us.
“We’ve acted on the suggestions, we’ve listened to our parks team, and it’s enabled us to deliver this really exciting investment programme.”
Refurbished play areas and refreshed equipment are amongst just some of the improvements that have been made to green spaces. Things such as repainting, updated seating, and features like swings and play units have also been added.
Cllr Higginbottom said: “It makes a big difference to the area, because if you improve parks in one area, it’s not just people who live in the immediate vicinity that will use it. It has a wider impact because people will come from all over to use improved areas. You get a real buzz around it.
“You make somewhere a nice place to go, it lifts up the entire community with it, and now we’re able to continue to make them nice places to visit.”
Springvale Play Area is one of the upcoming projects which will see developments to its play equipment and multi-use games area.
These projects form part of Barnsley Council’s Love Where You Live scheme, a programme put into place to clean up the Borough, invest in the housing and neighbourhood team, and improve parks and green spaces, ameliorating the area.
Cllr Higginbottom added: “It’s about making the places where our residents live the best places they can be, great places where people can be proud to call home.”