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Provide productive, creative, safe, high quality open spaces
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Offer opportunities for people to learn new skills and abilities, either informally or on formal accredited training courses
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Provide approximately 2,500 training places for adults with learning disabilities each year
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Add to the economic wealth of the area in which they are situated
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Employ the equivalent of approximately 500 full-time paid staff and over 15,000 volunteers
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Have a combined annual turnover of up to £40 million
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Improve physical and mental health in their communities
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Provide a valuable tool for bringing people together of different abilities, ages and cultures
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Aid in community cohesion and community development
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Are often producers of fresh food
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Allow many communities contact with real live food (both animals and plants)
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Attract more than three million visitors and regular users every year - around 50,000 of these visitors are school pupils
