Chance to vote for The Mere at Ellesmere as the UK’s favourite park

The Mere at Ellesmere is in the running to be named the nation’s favourite park in the Green Flag Award People’s Choice awards 2015

The Mere was one of 1,582 parks and green spaces in the UK that were awarded the prestigious, international Green Flag Award earlier this summer.

From 1 to 30 September 2015 people have the chance to vote for their favourite – at www.greenflagaward.org.

Managed by Shropshire Council, The Mere at Ellesmere is a beautiful lake with gardens, woodland walks and historic parkland. The Mere-side promenade, gardens and Boathouse restaurant and visitor centre have recently been restored to their former glory, and Cremorne Gardens offers a fantastic new adventure play area, formal flower beds, specimen trees, lawns and seating, and a circular garden walk.

The park provides a number of themed walks which encourage the exploration of the Park, provides interpretation of its heritage and makes links with Ellesmere town, the Llangollen Canal and surrounding countryside.

People can enjoy the gardens and walks, watch the herons nesting on Moscow Island, visit the Boathouse, enjoy an ice-cream or hot drink on the Mere-side promenade, take a boat trip on the Mere and much more.

Ann Hartley, Shropshire Councillor for Ellesmere, said:

“The Mere has so much to offer and is a great day out for all the family, so I’m delighted that it was awarded a Green Flag once again this year.

“It would be wonderful for Ellesmere and for Shropshire if it were to be named the nation’s favourite park, so I encourage everyone to vote.”

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for outdoor recreation, said:

“I would like to thank all the dedicated staff and volunteers at The Mere for their hard work in maintaining such a wonderful park. This is a great example of how Shropshire Council can work alongside volunteers and local communities to enable them to make a real difference to their local area.”

“Without the help of our volunteers– be it one day a year, an hour a month or a regular weekly session – the Green Flag award would not have been possible, so receiving it is a celebration of their efforts.”

Paul Todd, Green Flag Award manager said:

“We all have a favourite park, whether it’s our local green space or a special park we’ll travel miles to visit. Following another record breaking year for the Green Flag Award, we are urging everyone to vote for their own favourite park, so we can crown one of these 1,582 special parks as the People’s Choice 2015.”

To vote for The Mere in the People’s Choice awards, simply go to www.greenflagaward.org, select the West Midlands region on the interactive map, select The Mere, and click the ‘vote for this site’ button.

The vote opens on 1 September and close at noon on 30 September. The winner of the People’s Choice award 2015 will be announced in October.

People can also vote for Severn Valley Country Park at Highley and Alveley, which has also received the Green Flag award.

Further information

The Green Flag Awards Scheme (greenflagaward.org ) is run by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, under licence from the Department of Communities and Local Government, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, Keep Wales Tidy and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and the National Housing Federation.

First launched in 1996, the Green Flag Award recognises and rewards the UK’s best parks and green spaces. It is the quality standard for public green spaces and recognises well-managed, high quality sites that meet the needs of their local community.