Volunteers will come out in force today (April 30) to protect and maintain a BD145,000 ($385,000) public park in a first of its kind initiative in Bahrain.

The Jablaat Habshi Public Park will be officially opened by Parks Friends, which will guard it from vandals, organise clean-up campaigns and raise awareness about protecting public property.

The garden in the Northern Governorate has been built on an area of 2,479 sq m and features basketball and football fields, special zones for children and families and a walkway that stretches throughout the greenery.

"We have to take into consideration the public's demand and this is one of many parks and gardens that will be opened this year for the governorate's residents - each under a different theme," said Northern Municipality director-general Yousif Al Ghatam.

"Jablaat Habshi has been selected as the first to be completely run by Parks Friends and our role and duty will be just supervision in which municipal officials will be on standby whenever needed.

"We started the scheme in the Janabiya Park last month and it succeeded as 'friends' started taking responsibility for the garden which encouraged us to assign more duties to the public.

"There has been many interests in forming friends groups in existing parks and we are currently co-ordinating with them to do so and hopefully all of our parks will be run by the public soon."

Al Ghatam said the group would also help in carrying out minor repairs to the park such as sweeping the area and cutting grass.

"There are several businesses and investors interested in supporting parks and we are arranging meetings for them with the groups to see what they can do to help," Al Ghatam said.

"To encourage people to come to parks and gardens, we have to give them a range of activities in which their tastes are satisfied. There are many surprises in the upcoming seven new parks that we believe everyone will be happy with.

"The Northern Municipal Council is helping us outline people's needs and accordingly we take distinctive approaches that ensure creativity and uniqueness. Jablaat Habshi is the first model and there are many to come." – TradeArabia News Service