Nelson Mandela Park sign, Leicester, UK - 20070727

The Nelson Mandela Park is a public park in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, England. It is situated just inside the city centre near

Leicester Prison HM Prison Leicester is a Category B men's Local prison, located on Welford Road in the centre of Leicester, Leicestershire, England. The term 'local' means that the prison holds people on remand to the local courts, as well as sentenced priso ...

and the

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

' Stadium. It was known as Welford Road Recreation Ground before it was renamed to celebrate

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

. The park's facilities include a small children's play area, flood-lighting, and public toilets. As of March 2017, a selection of outdoor gym equipment has been installed opposite the children's play area. This is similar to that previously installed in

Victoria Park, Leicester Victoria Park in Leicester, England is a public park of 69 acres (279,000 m2). It is in the south-east, just outside the city centre, backing on to the University of Leicester and close to the Leicester railway station. History The park was hi ...

. Various sports clubs use this green for practice meetings. Leicester Tigers Rugby Club were a user of this area before the club went fully professional. On Friday 1 August 2007, the local council held "Nelson Mandela Sports Festival", as a celebration of 21 years of the park having held the name. Important people of the community were present including Councillor Gary Hunt, the Mayor of Leicester. At the event, 21 trees were planted to mark the 21 years of the park and the 21 wards of Leicester. The event was filmed so it could be given to Nelson Mandela himself to watch.BBC Leicester
– Nelson Mandela Sports Festival.

References

Leicester

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

Parks and open spaces in Leicestershire {{Leicestershire-geo-stub