Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be pissed off that parks are closed?

177 replies

breadcheeseandpickle · 01/04/2021 08:20

AIBU to think this is not on?

I have complied with rules but despite some restrictions being lifted there still isn’t much on, and waking the streets is really no fun.

OP posts:
SmallPrawnEnergy · 01/04/2021 09:02

they shouldn’t have closed everything and kept people penned in like animals/ treat people like animals
Given the absolute state of some of the scenes at parks that have closed I think it’s proven that we are animals, absolutely disgusting animals who can’t be trusted to act like decent humans, don’t trash the place and look after each other.
Don’t want to be treat like animals... don’t act like them then.
Deserved and unsurprising.

yet again it’s parents and children who are screwed over.
No it’s not, it’s everyone who respects the environment who is “screwed over” not just your precious children.

WeAllHaveWings · 01/04/2021 09:03

@Plumbear2

Blame the people who went overboard,;trashed the parks and ruined it for everyone else. Of course parks will close if people treat them.this way.
^ this

what is the alternative if locally there is an issue? Surely you wouldn't want to be there anyway if this is what is happening in the park?

Alsohuman · 01/04/2021 09:06

@Hardbackwriter

I agree that the litter is awful, selfish and disgusting, but is that explicitly the reason they've closed the parks? Public spaces used to get trashed before Covid and I don't remember them being shut because of it? This feels to me like Covid being used as a pretext to shut public areas when it's actually for other reasons, and I think we should all be wary of that.
It looks that way to me too. I don’t understand why litter’s such a problem. We had a picnic in the grounds of a stately home yesterday where there were no bins. There was no litter either.

The fact that it’s such a problem in Nottingham indicates to me the council’s focus is in the wrong place. Perhaps they should spend more on clearing up litter and less on making people pour alcohol away. It seems very draconian, other councils aren’t behaving like this.

Mumwithapub · 01/04/2021 09:08

Parks are closed where I live and its an absolute nightmare. Bordering us is an area of the town under a different council, parks there are open so when you go over there getting in car park is pandemonium, dog walkers love this park so they drive over to it clog car park so people with kids have to drive round narrow cul-de-sac's looking for parking. I don't begrudge people walking dogs but there is plenty open spaces around here to walk to why clog car park of only park open where others can take their kids. Council have put in local paper that parks are closed due to covid figures being high in this area but we are not really that different to neighbouring councils, its just crap.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 01/04/2021 09:09

You are barking up the wrong tree.

Blame the ones who littering, and misusing the parks.

Livpool · 01/04/2021 09:11

I think the ones who need blaming are the ones who trashed the parks. Absolutely disgusting

Cassilis · 01/04/2021 09:13

@breadcheeseandpickle

And yet again it’s parents and children who are screwed over.
Er, single people do use parks you know Hmm
Laiste · 01/04/2021 09:15

The littering is disgusting. No excuse.

But, as to the sheer numbers of people:

  • Shut everybody in all winter then allow ONE thing (meeting outside) just as the sunshine comes out.

No surprise really that it's going to be a bit chaotic. I don't understand all the shock.

Once swimming pools, sports lessons, the theatre, clubs, cafes, soft play, theme parks, ect are all open there wont be so many people all trying to do the ONE THING we're allowed to do at the same time. It's not rocket science.

Oneofthosedreadfulparents · 01/04/2021 09:15

I believe the Arboretum was unlocked earlier this morning

SpringTimeDream · 01/04/2021 09:18

Blame the litter louts. Disgusting individuals need to learn to pick their crap up and take home/bin etc.

Parks are open here but then most people pick up litter here

tenlittlecygnets · 01/04/2021 09:20

It's really sad that people can behave like this. WHO thinks it's OK to go to a park that someone else maintains and leave rubbish there? Animals will choke on it, it looks awful, and council workers will have to spend time clearing it up. It's unbelievably selfish. I thought people would have learned to appreciate nature more over lockdown. Apparently not.

RampantIvy · 01/04/2021 09:20

That is a bit of an own goal, they will meet in gardens and then go inside now.

They can trash their own homes and gardens then. I despise people who think it is OK to litter and trash places. If they can carry stuff to the park, they can carry it home again. It isn't difficult.

BiBabbles · 01/04/2021 09:21

Would you really have wanted to take little ones into a play area that was covered in rubbish? I've seen photos and people I know have been involved in the clean-up and I certainly would not want my children of any age in that.

That has little to do with COVID, it has to do with University students who've taken over the area treating it like a dumping ground, making it hard for residents. This has been an ongoing issue well before COVID, where some University areas put getting students in and spending before any of the residents, even to the residents' detriment. It's fucked up.

Sirzy · 01/04/2021 09:23

Be angry with the people who can’t use a bit of common sense rather than the police who have took necessary steps to try to stop people gathering.

BobbinThreadbare123 · 01/04/2021 09:24

The people that leave litter and trash the place don't care and have always done it; they just so happened to all come out at the same time. I live in the Lakes and we've had so many people from other counties driving up, wild camping and then leaving everything: tent, barbecues, litter. The last lot in the news have been traced off the shite they left. Last summer there were scrotes actually crapping on people's driveways and leaving it because the loos were shut.

SquirmOfEels · 01/04/2021 09:25

OP - you say it's a police closure, did they give a reason, because that's not normally a police role

A couple of playgrounds near us are still closed, because council was doing a maintenance programme and two are still not finished, but expected to be in the next fortnight. All others open (as are all parks) and there's been pretty clear information to the public about this.

Playgrounds for the under-8s remained open throughout.

Brefugee · 01/04/2021 09:25

So those of you who think it was heavy handed to close them: did you see the absolute mountains of litter left behind? What about that?

eeyore228 · 01/04/2021 09:25

I’ve been on a walk and twice this week have gone by the Moor area which is a park and field and it was ridiculous the amount of people in large groups. No distancing at all and most were groups of 8 plus. Not sure what people expect when there are some with little to no care. I’m not surprised.

megletthesecond · 01/04/2021 09:26

If you are able to you could start litter picking the parks to counteract the mess and it might get them open sooner. I'm sure Nottingham has a litter picking group.

Regular visible litter picking and getting an area spotless does seen to guilt people into using bins. I've been doing it for 3 years.

TheQueef · 01/04/2021 09:41

Sadly not surprised Saskia there is an undercurrent at the moment, wild, feral and dangerous.
That's the naice leafy side of town too.

Original poster
breadcheeseandpickle · 01/04/2021 09:42

@Brefugee

So those of you who think it was heavy handed to close them: did you see the absolute mountains of litter left behind? What about that?
What about it?

Is it the first time the weather has been nice and people have been dicks? No.

OP posts:
Mellivora · 01/04/2021 09:44

I know this area well the parks are in residential areas dominated by students. I am not saying all students are feckless and messy but when I heard it was those specific areas I was not surprised. The initial outbreak in Nottingham was at the University. Huge parties of up to 100 students were broken up on that campus at the start of term last year with students breaking in to large marquess that had been set up so people could study with more distance. My friend was involved with disciplining them and was called a nazi.

BiBabbles never a truer word spoken, I worked on that campus for a decade and some of the behaviour was shocking. The University created a post at one point to liaise with local residents and the police as it was becoming such an issue. Assume it’s still all ongoing.

ItsMarch · 01/04/2021 09:45

It’s symbolic of the attitude over the past 12 months.
Selfish, ignorant, couldn’t give a fuck attitude.
People can’t follow the guidance. They don’t behave sensibly. There’s no moderation.
I don’t blame the police. Although I agree it’s shit for people trying to entertain children over the holidays yet again.

The only things opening here have put their prices up massively. £60 for a family of 4 to walk around a farm. All outside. For a morning session only.

icheatatscrabble · 01/04/2021 09:47

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Oh well they shouldn’t have closed everything and kept people penned in like animals/ treat people like animals and this is what you get!
No. People are still capable of picking up rubbish when they go home and not leaving the place trashed and unusable for others.

It will be the same morons who leave discarded tents, BBQs, human waste and bags of dog shit all over the countryside in a few weeks like they did last year, because they are selfish arseholes with no respect for their environment and other people's rights to enjoy the same public space.

This has nothing to do with "keeping people locked up" and everything to do with the laziness and entitlement of some groups of people in this country.