Hexthorpe Park
Whether it's seeing Doncaster's only public bird aviary, or strolling through the historic Dell gardens, there's lots to do at Hexthorpe Park. Steeped in history and located beside the River Don, the park has play areas, nature walks, and a number of sporting opportunities including Doncaster's only petanque pitch, as well as newly refurbished tennis courts. Hexthorpe Park is a Green Flag site, which recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces.
As a result of the feedback from our community engagement work, the following investments are being made to the site. If you are using a desktop, you can hover over the interactive points on the map to discover more detail. If you are using a mobile phone, the information will be displayed underneath the map for ease of access.
![Hexthorpe Park Map Image](/images/2_6633a710d0f97939294043/1400x.jpg)
Activities and Events
The local community told us that they wanted to see a wider range of activities and events in Hexthorpe Park.
Since then, Friends of Hexthorpe Park have hosted events such as their Easter Fair and HexFest – a free musical event across Hexthorpe that included musical performances in the Dell.
Right Up Our Street also held their free 'Into The Park' day which saw performances from Autin Dance Theatre's Out of the Deep Blue 13-foot-puppet, numerous craft and activity stalls alongside sports activities and more.
Pétanque Court
In 2022, a group of local residents approached City of Doncaster Council and Get Doncaster Moving to enquire about whether there were any opportunities to play pétanque in Doncaster, as the group were regularly travelling outside of the borough to play the sport. That initial enquiry led to further investigation and conversations with those residents and Yorkshire Pétanque, to investigate the need and scale of the sport, and the potential for its growth and sustainability locally.
Fast forward to the present day, and Doncaster has a new pétanque facility (with space for four games to be played simultaneously) complete with accessible ramps for wheelchair access. Get Doncaster Moving have also worked closely with those local residents to support them to establish what is now Doncaster's (and South Yorkshire's) only Pétanque Club, which aims to raise the profile of - and grow - the sport in Doncaster.
Doncaster Pétanque Club offer free 'Introduction to Pétanque' sessions at Hexthorpe Park on Tuesdays (2pm-4pm) and Fridays (11am-1pm). Membership to Doncaster Pétanque Club is £10 for a year's membership and includes equipment hire. The pétanque pitch is also open for everyone to access free of charge and without the need to book or join the club (but people would have to bring their own equipment).
You can find out more here: Doncaster adds Pétanque to growing list of sports available to play locally
Access Paths
Improvements will be made at the main entrance, access to the Dell and around the aviary.
New signage and interpretation panels will also help guide visitors around the park, whilst also sharing some of the parks rich history.
Open Up Site Lines
To help make Hexthorpe Park feel more safe and open, certain areas that previously felt isolated and hidden from view have been opened up so that visitors have a clearer view across the park. This has included the pruning back of bushes which line part of the pathways.
Tennis Courts
Hexthorpe Park public tennis courts have recently been refurbished due to funding from the Lawn Tennis Association, helping to ensure that quality facilities are available for the local community.
The project is part of a nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, delivered by the LTA, to refurbish public tennis courts across Great Britain, and open up the sport to many more people. This investment will see thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition brought back to life for the benefit of communities across the country through renovation works, and improved court accessibility with new gate-access technology and booking systems.
Alongside the investment, City of Doncaster Council will also work with the LTA to deliver a range of activity across the park sites. This will include weekly organised free park tennis sessions for all ages, playing levels and experience where equipment is provided, meaning that people will not need someone to play with or their own racket. Local Tennis Leagues will also provide friendly, sociable, opportunities to get active through local competition. Haslam Park tennis courts are also been refurbished under the same scheme.
You can find more here: Doncaster Park tennis courts reopen after renovation | Get Doncaster Moving
Park Trails
Working in partnership with Enigma Rooms Doncaster, Hexthorpe Park was the first Doncaster park to trial our unique alien themed park game, designed to encourage parks usage and bring new types of activities to parks and green spaces.
Following on from a successful first year, new wizard themed games will go live at Hexthorpe Park from 27th July. You can find out more here: Bringing some magic to parks this summer | Get Doncaster Moving
Solar Lit Footpaths
Strategic lighting and better visibility within the park were highlighted by the community as important improvements to be made.
To support visitors to feel safer when walking through the park when it's dark, the main footpaths within the park are now solar lit, saving on energy whilst also providing lighted walkways when needed most.
Friends of Hexthorpe Flatts
The Friends of Hexthorpe Flatts arrange events and activities on site including a fireworks display and community tree planting. For further information on how to get involved, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/HexthorpePark/
Hexthorpe Park engagement summary
The summary document below captures the headline results of the engagement survey undertaken with residents and stakeholders about Hexthorpe Park in November 2021. This feedback has informed the subsequent improvements made to the site, where possible.
Hexthorpe Park (PDF, 2.1 Mb)