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Both parks will appear in a list of over 740 green spaces in England,
Scotland and Wales compiled by the Civic Trust on behalf of the
Department for Communities and Local Government. Winning sites
include cemeteries, country parks, nature reserves and water
gardens. Sites must be freely accessible to the public, and provide
a welcoming and well managed space for their local community.
"This is a fantastic achievement,”
said Louise Wilcox, recreation manager for the city council. “We are
extremely proud that Central Park has received this prestigious
award for the sixth year running and we are absolutely thrilled that
Itter Park has been awarded a Green Flag for the second time.
“The awards highlight the high
priority the city council places on its parks and open spaces and
the value they give to residents' quality of life. I would like to
thank the public for supporting the city's parks. These awards
reflect the hard work of everyone involved and I hope we can achieve
a similar status for the city's other parks and green spaces in the
years to come."
Opened in 1877, Central Park
welcomes thousands of visitors annually and its attractions include
a sunken garden, children’s play area and paddling pool, aviary,
tennis courts, bowling and putting greens and the bustling
Buttercross Tearooms.
In 2002/03 Central Park was awarded
a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, enabling major improvements to be
made. As part of the project, a park ranger was appointed to manage
the site. The park ranger service offers a range of community-based
projects which include educational visits, wildflower planting, the
installation of school-built bat boxes and continued development
with the Friends of the Park group.
The 14-acre Itter Park, which was
donated to the city council in 1936 by the family of the late mayor
Arthur Itter, has benefited from the formation of a Friends of Itter
Park group to promote the area as a safe and enjoyable recreational
facility. Its facilities include tennis courts, bowling green,
putting lawn, football pitches and a children's play area, which has
been completely refurbished in the past year.
Itter Park recently underwent a high
profile makeover, which coincided with the BBC’s Springwatch series.
The makeover involved around 30 volunteers from various local
organisations including members of the Friends of Itter Park group.
Wildlife gardening experts and volunteers worked side by side to
transform part of the park’s putting green into a natural pond and
bog garden to attract wildlife including frogs, newts, dragonflies,
butterflies and some ducks who are currently residing in a nearby
supermarket car park.
Councillor David Sanders, cabinet
member for city services, said: "Both Central Park and Itter Park
are wonderful places and I would urge anybody who has not seen them
recently to pay them a visit. They provide the ideal venue for a
fantastic day out for the whole family and boast excellent
facilities. High quality parks are the jewels in the crown of any
community where people can relax, exercise and play. The best thing
of all is that they are free for everyone to use.”
The Green Flag is the national
standard for quality parks and green spaces and both Itter Park and
Central Park are proud holders of Green Flag status. The parks
appear in a list of over 740 green spaces, which are considered to
be among the best in the country. Parks are judged on aspects such
as local community involvement and the safety and maintenance of the
facility in order to make it a welcoming place to visit.
This year’s award ceremony will be
held in Liverpool on Thursday 24 July.
For information on all winners
please visit
www.greenflagaward.org.uk
July 2008 -
Peterborough UK Community Website
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