Representatives from Borough of Poole celebrating Poole Park’s Green Flag
Poole is celebrating Green Flag success as three parks in the borough have achieved the sought after national award.
Poole Park, Hamworthy Park and Upton Country Park are among a record breaking 1,476 parks and green spaces to have achieved the national standard for green spaces, recognising the popular areas as some of the best in England and Wales.
The award is a sign to visitors that local parks have the highest possible standards, are beautifully maintained and have excellent facilities. Each park entered into the award is judged against eight criteria, including cleanliness, health, safety and security, conservation and heritage, community involvement and how welcoming the parks are to visitors.
Cllr Xena Dion, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for a Prosperous and Sustainable Poole, Borough of Poole, said: “High quality green spaces make a huge difference to people’s quality of life and are vital to a happy and healthy lifestyle for everyone in the community. We are immensely proud that Poole, Hamworthy and Upton have once again maintained their high standards. These awards really do recognise the hard work of our skilled council staff and our committed volunteers, who work selflessly and continually to ensure they remain wonderful places for everyone to visit and enjoy.
“The Green Flag award for Poole Park couldn’t have come at a better time. The council and the Friends of Poole Park will soon be submitting a £2.5 million bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to help deliver a range of enhancements in the park. The HLF require the parks that they fund to maintain Green Flag standards for around ten years, so this award is vital to the success of our Poole Park Life project.”
The Green Flag Award Scheme is run by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government
Upton Country Park has been awarded a Green Flag nine times, while this is Poole Park’s seventh award and Hamworthy Park’s fifth.
Both Poole and Upton boast more than 100 acres of parkland including salt-water lakes at Poole and woodlands at Upton, while Hamworthy Park’s beachside location provide 27 acres of parkland with spectacular views across neighbouring Poole Harbour.
The parks benefit from the tremendous support and involvement of the Friends of Poole Park, the Friends of Hamworthy Park and the Friends of Upton Country Park. The volunteers provide a range of services such as the protection, improvement and promotion of the park as well as arranging a variety of community events and activities. The maintenance of the parks is also supported by the council’s contractor Continental Landscapes Ltd.
All three parks are open and free to the public all year round.
For more information on parks and green spaces in Poole, please visit www.boroughofpoole.com or www.uptoncountrypark.com
