Shropshire country parks receive prestigious Green Flag awards in record year
Eight of Shropshire's country parks have been given the prestigious Green Flag Award, and several projects across the area have also been recognised with community awards.
The Green Flag Awards, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
A record 2,216 parks and green spaces across the UK have won Green Flag status in 2023 in the awards announced on Tuesday – the largest number since the scheme began 27 years ago.
Shropshire Council is celebrating after receiving a Green Flag Award for both Severn Valley Country Park, maintaining a 20-year run of success, and The Mere in Ellesmere, its tenth successive Green Flag Award.
A Community Green Flag has also been awarded to the Friends of Stanmore Country Park - the community awards recognise those sites that benefit local communities.
Robert Macey, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for culture and digital, said: “Sometimes it is all too easy to take for granted our beautiful Shropshire countryside, but awards such as this serve as a great reminder of the hard work and effort that goes into maintaining our country parks.
“The staff and volunteers across all three sites should be immensely proud of themselves, as we are. Shropshire Council is delighted to include award-winning country parks in its portfolio.
“As the summer holidays begin it is worth considering exploring our parks as a fun, free and healthy day out.”
Elsewhere in the county, Telford and Wrekin received a record six Green Flag awards.
The borough retained its existing four Green Flags for Telford Town Park, Hartshill Park, Dawley Park and Dale End Park, while also winning Green Flag status for an additional two sites for the first time – Bowring Park and Apley Woods Local Nature Reserve.
Bowring Park was described as: “An excellent and well maintained local park which is evidently well used and enjoyed by the community. Well deserving of a Green Flag award.”
Apley Woods was praised as: “An excellent local nature reserve and one that is clearly being managed well by the council with support from the friends group. A superb asset for the local community and very worthy of a Green Flag award.”
Councillor Carolyn Healy, Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet member for climate action, green spaces, heritage and leisure, said: “To rack up six Green Flag-winning parks for Telford and Wrekin is absolutely fantastic news and a real testament to all the hard work that our council teams put in, with the invaluable support of volunteers from the many ‘Friends’ groups who help to keep these spaces looking so attractive.”
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve invested in enhancing both Bowring Park and Apley Woods as part of our On Your Side funding programme, so I’m delighted to see them both recognised in the Green Flag awards.
“By working closely with our community, we’re delivering even better parks for our residents.”
In Powys, while the county did not receive any Green Flag Awards, a number of projects were given a Green Flag Community Award, including Severn Farm Pond Nature Reserve.
The project was overseen by Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust (MWT). A spokesperson for the Trust said: “Massive thanks to everyone who helped us to provide a haven for communities to come together, relax and enjoy nature, especially, our Wild Skills Wild Spaces participants and volunteers."
Paul Todd MBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme manager, said of this year's Green Flag winners: "They are a vital green space for the community, bringing people together and providing opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles.
"The staff and volunteers do so much to ensure that they maintain the high standards of the Green Flag Award and everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.”
Green Flag Awards
Severn Valley Country Park, Telford
Dawley Park, Telford
Telford Town Park, Telford
Hartshill Park, Telford
Bowring Park, Telford
Apley Woods, Telford
Severn Valley Country Park near Alveley, Shropshire
The Mere in Ellesmere, Shropshire
Green Flag Community Awards
Stanmore Country Park, Shropshire
Severn Farm Pond, Welshpool, Powys
Arlais Community Garden, Powys
Gerddi Bro Ddyfi Gardens, Powys
Llandrindod Pomarium, Powys
The Warden and Watton Allotment Association, Powys
A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available at: greenflagaward.org/news/2-216-parks-and-green-spaces-across-uk-to-fly-green-flag-award-with-pride
