Country Parks in Shropshire awarded prestigious Green Flag Award
Today, parks and green spaces across the country will be raising their Green Flag Award with pride in a year when millions of people have seen the value of having great quality green spaces on their doorstep.
Among them will be The Mere, Severn Valley Country Park and Stanmore Country Park.
Severn Valley Country Park has been awarded the Green Flag for the 16th consecutive year
This year marks the 7th time The Mere has received the award. It also continues the streak for Severn Valley Country Park which has now won the award every year since 2004. Stanmore Country Park is receiving the award for the second time.
The Mere at Ellesmere
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the UK and around the world.
The Mere, Severn Valley Country Park and Stanmore Country Park are three of more than 2,000 sites across the country to collect the award for 2020.
Stanmore Country Park
Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture, leisure, waste and communications, said:
“It has been an incredibly difficult year for everyone, and our country parks and green space have been a saviour to many of us. Our staff and volunteers have worked so hard to ensure Shropshire’s countryside has remained accessible and safe for people to visit and escape the noise, even if it’s just for a short while.
“Being awarded the Green Flag again is a testament to the hard work of our staff and volunteers who maintain our country parks to the highest of standards. It now falls on everyone to respect and protect our countryside so we can all continue to enjoy them.”
Commenting on this success success, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said:
“This year, more than ever, our parks and green spaces have been a lifeline and we know that millions of people have used them to relax, meet friends, exercise or simply escape for a short time.
“It is testament to the incredible dedication and hard work of parks staff and volunteers that, despite the challenges that went along with record numbers of visitors, Shropshire Council and local volunteers have achieved the highest international standards at The Mere, Severn Valley Country Park and Stanmore Country Park demanded by the Green Flag Award.”
More information about visiting Shropshire’s Great Outdoors can be found on the website and more details about the Green Flag Award can be seen at https://greenflagaward.org/.
What can you do to help protect Shropshire’s green spaces?
There is a lot you can do to help protect the county’s green spaces and it’s all listed in the countryside code. Familiarising yourself with the countryside code will give you all the information you need to be able to behave respectfully when visiting rural locations.
When visiting the countryside, remember that there are local communities living in the area so plan ahead to find the best places to park and check what facilities are open.
Some public paths pass through private land and farmers’ fields so make sure you leave gates and properties as you find them. Some gates are closed to protect any livestock that may be in the field.
We all want to visit clean and tidy outdoor spaces so leave no trace of your visit, take all your litter home and if you have your dog with you, remember to scoop the poop!
You can find more useful information by visiting https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-countryside-code.
