Horsham Park sits at the heart of our town. It is a place for walking, playing, volunteering, exercising, meeting friends and taking time out. For many residents it is not simply an open space, it is part of everyday life: a daily connection with nature, a place to meet others, or somewhere to find a quiet moment to yourself. It is, in many ways, part of what makes Horsham, Horsham.
The journey to Fields in Trust
The park was purchased in three sections between 1928 and 1950, but the covenants do not give sufficient protection to the park. For example, in 1975 the newly formed Horsham District Council planned to take a section of the park to build offices and were only stopped by a public outcry and campaign led by the Horsham Society.
The park has faced other threats since and that is why the Friends of Horsham Park set out to protect the park.
After nearly ten years of campaigning, that goal has now been achieved. Following a landmark legal agreement between Horsham District Council and the national charity Fields in Trust, approved at the Council’s Cabinet meeting on 25th March 2026, Horsham Park is now protected in perpetuity for recreation. It cannot be sold for housing or offices. It cannot be taken away.
What is Fields in Trust?
Fields in Trust is a national charity that works to protect parks and green spaces permanently, so they can continue to be enjoyed by local communities for generations to come. When a space is designated a Field in Trust, a legal agreement is put in place with the landowner, in this case, Horsham District Council, that safeguards the land against development in perpetuity. The charity has been protecting green spaces across the UK since 1925.
The evidence for why this matters is compelling. Research by Fields in Trust found that parks and green spaces provide £34.2 billion worth of physical and mental health benefits every year. Regular use of parks and green spaces also saves the NHS at least £111 million each year through reduced GP visits, enough to pay for more than 3,500 nurses. Research cited on the Fields in Trust website highlights a direct and statistically significant link between the use of parks and green spaces and improvements in physical health, life satisfaction, sense of worth, happiness and anxiety levels.
Why protection was needed
From their earliest days, Friends of Horsham Park recognised that the park’s importance to the community was not matched by sufficient legal safeguards. Green spaces without sufficient protection can face pressure from development, budget cuts, or changes in local priorities. Research has shown that nearly one in five people across the UK report that their local park or green space has been under threat of being lost or built on. Horsham Park was not immune to those pressures, and the Friends believed that goodwill alone was not enough to guarantee its future.
The goal was clear: to work with the Council to secure long-term protection for the park, not just a policy commitment, but a permanent legal agreement that no future administration could ignore.
What the Friends did
The Friends have built the case for protection through the sustained effort by volunteers over nearly a decade:
- In 2017, when the Friends were formed, they made protecting the park one of their three key objectives: to enhance, promote and protect the park.
- In 2019 they got the park protected as an Asset of Community Value – highlighting its importance to the community.
- They have built a community of gardening volunteers who by working every week in the park, enhance the park and demonstrate its value to residents.
- They highlighted in the media and on social media the importance and benefits of the park to residents and nature.
- They entered the park in the Fields In Trust national ‘Local Favourite Park’ competition in 2022 and mobilised votes – the park was a winner.
- They set up meetings for the Council with Fields in Trust so that they could understand more about the way the charity works with landowners and to overcome several myths (for example, the land is not put into a trust and is still owned and managed by the landowner).
- They were founding members of the Horsham Green Spaces Forum to work with and share resources with other local green space groups to bolster protection for our green spaces and highlight the importance of nature corridors across the town, with the park representing a critical stepping stone at the centre.
The election campaign: putting protection on the agenda
In the run-up to the Horsham District local elections on the 4th of May 2023, Friends of Horsham Park asked candidates and parties to state publicly where they stood on the park’s future. The Friends are not politically affiliated, but they strongly believed that those seeking elected office should be clear about whether they supported lasting protection for one of Horsham’s most important green spaces.
The campaign was built around a pledge, asking candidates to commit to six things:
- Seek to protect Horsham Park in perpetuity
- Value Horsham’s parks and green spaces for their vital contribution to residents’ physical and mental wellbeing
- Champion the important public service that parks and green spaces provide locally
- Advocate for policies that safeguard parks and green spaces
- Encourage sufficient and equitable provision of parks and green spaces for all
- Support community volunteers in the park and other green spaces
The response was encouraging. Locally, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Labour Party all confirmed their backing for finding a way to protect the park in perpetuity.
The Friends published all responses so that residents could see clearly where candidates stood. By making the park’s future visible and discussed before the election, the campaign helped ensure that protection was placed firmly on the agenda for the incoming council.
Following the election there was still work to do over the next 18 months. The new administration wanted to identify the best means of protecting the park in perpetuity. This due diligence took some time before the decision was finally made that the Fields in Trust’s ‘Deed of Dedication’ was the best vehicle for protecting the park. This was an important milestone in the Park’s history and a timely one given the imminent Local Government Reorganisation when Horsham District Council will be replaced.
A community achievement
The journey to Fields in Trust protection was never just a policy process. It was a community story. Volunteers, residents, supporters, candidates and councillors all played a part in recognising the park’s importance and making the case for its protection.
Sally Sanderson, Chair of Friends of Horsham Park, reflected on what this milestone means:
“Horsham Park is central to the identity, wellbeing and attractiveness of our town. That’s why the Friends of Horsham Park have campaigned for nearly 10 years to protect it for future generations. We are proud to have worked with the Council to achieve this and thank them for securing this wonderful community asset at the heart of Horsham. This marks a significant milestone in the Park’s history. It is a moment of reassurance and pride for the many communities who use and cherish this wonderful space, and one we will be celebrating together.”
Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, Culture and Green Spaces, Cllr David Skipp, echoed that sentiment:
“As a council we are extremely pleased to be securing this partnership with the Fields in Trust charity. Local people are passionate and protective about this open green space… Securing Fields in Trust status means that the park will always remain so and will be safeguarded for generations to come.”
(Image: Horsham District Council).
Cllr Skipp also confirmed that the Council will work alongside Fields in Trust to explore how best to preserve the park for local residents and enhance the natural environment, managing it to boost biodiversity in the most sustainable ways possible, and to help tackle climate change.
Looking ahead
It was patient, persistent and principled work, carried out by people who care deeply about the park and its future.
Fields in Trust protection is a landmark moment but the work of caring for Horsham Park goes on. Friends of Horsham Park will continue to support the park through volunteering, advocacy and community involvement, helping to ensure it remains a treasured green space for everyone who lives here, visits, or simply passes through.
The park is protected. Its future is secure. And the community that fought for it can be proud of what it has achieved together.
The Fields in Trust agreement received its final approval at Horsham District Council’s Cabinet meeting on 25th March 2026.