Wychavon’s parks are once again amongst the best looked after and maintained in the country after retaining their Green Flag Award status.
Green Flags have been hoisted above all five of Wychavon's parks - Abbey Park and Workman/Waterside Gardens in Evesham, Vines Park and Lido Park/St Peters Fields in Droitwich Spa, and Abbey Park in Pershore – in recognition of their quality.
Droitwich Community Woods, which Wychavon manages along with Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, has also received the award for the fourth year in a row. They join a record 2,216 winners across the UK.
Abbey Park in Evesham has now won the award 18 years running, since first being entered in 2005. All five parks have now had Green Flag status for 11 years.
Wychavon continues to invest in improving the district’s parks and open spaces. Earlier this year a new £330,000 water play area opened in Evesham’s Abbey Park and works starts in September to replace the water play in Abbey Park in Pershore.
Wildflowers have also been planted at 31 sites across the district to support pollinators and biodiversity. New tree and wildflower planting has also taken place at St Richard’s Open Space in Evesham, along with the creation of a new footpath, seating and signage. There are also plans in the pipeline to install a natural themed play area at the site.
Cllr Emma Stokes, Executive Board Member for Resident and Customer Services on Wychavon District Council, said: "I’m delighted we have once again been recognised for providing high quality, well maintained public parks and open spaces and we have plans to continue to improve them.
“A huge thank you to our parks team, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust who help us manage Droitwich Community Woods and our contractors Continental Landscapes and Smart Cut for their hard work, which has helped make this success possible.”
The Green Flag awards are run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognise well-managed parks, and green spaces. A Green Flag is valid for one year only, and if a park/green space is to maintain its status it must re-apply annually.
Paul Todd, Keep Britain Tidy's Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, said: "These sites are vital green spaces for the community in Wychavon, bringing people together and providing opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles. Staff do so much to ensure they maintain the high standards of the Green Flag Award and everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.”
