Country Parks once again awarded Green Flag
The Grand Western Canal Country Park and Stover Country Park have, once again, been recognised as being amongst the best parks in the UK after they received the Green Flag Award.
The award is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
And this year marks the 21st consecutive year that Stover Country Park has received the award, and at the Grand Western Canal Country Park its 16 years.
Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said: “Both parks are extremely special places and I want to congratulate all the staff and volunteers because the retention of the Green Flag Award is entirely down to them; their hard work and the time and effort that they invest every day ensures that the highest standards are maintained year after year.
“Both of these parks are great habitats for our local wildlife, havens of biodiversity and they benefit our health and wellbeing.”
This year Green Flag judges further increased the points they awarded to the Grand Western Canal.
It follows the Park benefitting from a range of improvements to visitor facilities over the last 12 months, including new noticeboards and interpretation panels along the towpath and new video displays in the Visitor Centre.
To mark this The Canal Ranger Service, in partnership with the Tiverton Canal Co, Tiverton Town Council and Mid Devon District Council held an Open Day on Saturday 13 July.
At the event Chairman of Devon County Council John Hart joined staff and volunteers, council colleagues and the MP Tiverton and Minehead Rachel Gilmour to mark the 50th anniversary of the horse-drawn barge Tivertonian operating on the canal.
Councillor Hart said: “The barge provides a wonderfully peaceful way to step back in time and quietly enjoy the Canal’s wildlife and heritage. It is one of only two horse-drawn trip boats left in England and is a unique selling point for Tiverton and mid-Devon, attracting large numbers of tourists and boosting the local economy. Last year the barge’s operator, the Tiverton Canal Co, won a Devon Tourism Award and their successful operation is reliant on excellent management and maintenance of the Country Park by the Canal Ranger Service.”
The Canal has also inspired and supported a model swan trail in Tiverton this year, hosting a beautiful ‘roses and castles’ themed swan in the Canal Basin.
Councillor Colin Slade, Vice Chair of the Grand Western Canal Joint Advisory Committee and County Councillor for Tiverton East, said: “Yet again the Grand Western Canal Country Park won a green flag and even managed to increase their score.
“It’s not surprising really; it’s a fantastic place and the award is richly deserved. I walk along the canal regularly and I see firsthand the hard work put in by Country Park Manager Mark Baker and his team of rangers and volunteers.”
Councillor Ray Radford, County Councillor for Willand and Uffculme, said: “Fantastic, they’ve done it again. The improvements they have made to the tow path in recent years, the visitor’s centre, the interpretation boards; it’s all just added to what has always been a wonderful place.”
At Stover Country Park, work started in March on a range of major improvements as part of the Restoring Stover Park Project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Highways, adding to the comprehensive programme of activities for underrepresented community groups.
Work on the visitor centre extension, the new community workshop, the conservation of the Grade 2 Listed Gatehouse, the dredging of Stover Lake, and the re-establishment of a section of the historic serpentine Lake is expected to be completed this autumn. The extensive activity plan of community engagement is continuing to be delivered throughout the three-year programme.
The Restoring Stover Park Project will be completed in 2026 delivering benefits to wildlife, the historic landscape and Park users through improvements in visitor facilities and the water quality of Stover Lake, and the creation of new walking routes with conserved historic features.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd MBE said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved at Stover Country Park and the Grand Western Canal Country Park on achieving a Green Flag Award.
“We know that staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that it maintains the high standards of the Green Flag Award, everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.”
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.
A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available on the Keep Britain Tidy website.
