Stover Country Park and the Grand Western Canal Country Park are celebrating being officially named among the best parks in the country after receiving this year’s Green Flag Award.
Devon County Council’s two parks are among a record-breaking 2,250 sites in the UK to achieve the award, which is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
Meeting the standards for accreditation is testament to the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers so that visitors and residents alike can enjoy the parks.
What makes the achievement all the more impressive is that Stover Country Park has now received the Green Flag award for the past 22 years in a row, while the Grand Western Canal Country Park has notched up 17 consecutive years.
Stover Country Park is currently in the final year of its Restoring Stover Park project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Highways. The aim of the project is to conserve the important historic landscape of the Grade II Listed Stover Park and Garden, while benefiting the wildlife and visiting public.
Work has been completed on the Stover Centre extension with new public toilets, the new Community Workshop, and the Grade II Listed Gatehouse heritage conservation repairs. Stover Lake has also been successfully dredged with 14,000m3 of silt removed, and a section of the historic Serpentine Lake has been re-created. The extensive activity plan of community engagement continues to be delivered with a programme of activities for under-represented groups.
This autumn will see the completion of car park improvements, the creation of two new walking routes along the Serpentine Lake and through neighbouring woodland owned by Sibelco Minerals, the introduction of new information boards, leaflets, signage, a digital app, as well as new education resources for visiting school groups.
This year’s Green Flag judge commented: ‘I loved this park and wish I lived closer. It is a great example of a Green Flag Country Park, full of surprises that provided a memorable and stimulating walk.’
Councillor Jacqi Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity, said:
“Stover Country Park and the Grand Western Canal Country Park are important habitats for wildlife and are vital for supporting biodiversity, as well as being popular places for people to visit. Having been to both of these public places myself in the last few weeks I can personally vouch for the delight of visiting these important wildlife sanctuaries. Congratulations to both parks for retaining their Green Flags again this year. It highlights the work put in by staff and volunteers to maintain such high standards, and this latest award is recognition of that.”
Councillor Sally Morgan, County Councillor for Bovey Tracey Rural, said:
“This is a well-deserved award for this popular country park. It is a green jewel in the county’s crown. It’s a prime example of what can be achieved through partnership work and a shared vision. The wildlife and birdlife there is exceptional and it is a great educational and environmental resource.”
For the Grand Western Canal Country Park, the Green Flag follows on from the recent success when it was presented with the five-star ‘Pride in Parks’ award from the Royal Horticultural Society’s Southwest in Bloom.
The Canal Ranger Service is always looking to improve facilities along the canal. Earlier this year, more than 1,300 metres of the towpath on the edge of Tiverton was resurfaced using over 400 tonnes of crushed limestone from the local quarry at Westleigh.
The waterway is kept clear and available for angling and boating, clearing large trees that fell during winter storms, spot dredging shallow spots, and weed clearing for four days per week during the spring and summer months.
Rangers also continue to lead a programme of events including bat walks, healthy walks and the ever-popular Wild Wednesday events during the school holidays. During term time they lead visits by schools and youth groups where young people learn more about their local environment during minibeast hunts and pond-dipping sessions.
Councillor Les Cruwys, Vice Chair of the Grand Western Canal Joint Advisory Committee, said: “Tiverton’s Grand Western Canal Country Park is often described as the jewel in Mid Devon’s crown and we are so proud to receive the Green Flag Award for the seventeenth consecutive year, an achievement in itself, but this year it comes as part of a pair of awards having recently also won a ‘Pride in Parks’ award. We could not have received this recognition without the hard work of Mark Baker and the canal rangers for their tireless work all year round. As we approach the peak summer months it is rewarding to see so many visitors along the canal, both locals and tourists. I recently spoke to some visitors from Bristol who called in on their way through Devon for, what they thought, would be a quick visit but were so impressed they stayed for the rest of the day. The horse-drawn barge, the Ducks Ditty, the Canal Tearoom and Garden and the preserved limekilns are all recognised in these awards so we should also extend our thanks to them.”
Councillor Neale Raleigh, County Councillor for Tiverton East, said:
“This is fabulous and well-deserved news. Indeed, testament to the canal rangers, the voluntary groups and supporters who all contribute to conserving one of Mid Devon’s most beautiful locations for wildlife, tranquillity and leisure.”
Councillor Simon Clist, County Councillor for Willand and Uffculme, said:
“We’re all delighted at this latest award for the Grand Western Canal, particularly off the back of the Pride in Parks award earlier this year. The Green Flag Award is in recognition of the excellent work of the staff and volunteers at the Canal. Their outstanding effort makes it such a great place to visit. It is one of the best attractions not just in Mid Devon but the whole of Devon, and benefits wildlife, the community, walkers and school trips.”
Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said: “Congratulations to everyone involved at Stover Country Park and the Grand Western Canal Country Park who have worked tirelessly to ensure that they achieve the high standards required for the Green Flag Award. Quality parks and green spaces like Stover and the Grand Western Canal make the country a heathier place to live and work in, and a stronger place in which to invest.”
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
More information about Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available on the Green Flag Awards website.