Worsbrough Mill Country Park flies the flag as one of the country’s best parks

In a record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award, as the scheme marks its Silver Jubilee, Worsbrough Mill and Country Park is one of 2127 celebrating success today

Today, Worsbrough Mill and Country Park is raising a Green Flag Award for the first time since 2014.

The award is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces

After 18 months that have seen our parks and green spaces play a vital role for people through lockdowns as a place to relax, exercise and meet friends and family safely, the news that Worsbrough Mill and Country Park has achieved the Green Flag Award is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that make the green space a great space that everyone can enjoy.

Worsbrough Mill and Country Park joins parks and green spaces as diverse as The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Woodhouse Park in Peterlee and Chiswick Old Cemetery in London.

An incredible amount of work has gone into enhancing Worsbrough Mill and Country Park during the last eighteen months, largely thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has resulted in this incredible achievement.

 

Improvements have included new management works to the important woodlands, reedbeds and meadows on site, the planting of a new orchard and creating and installing willow weaving sculptures. Plans have also been developed to improve footpaths and install new signage, as works to enhance the site even further are ongoing.

 

The work undertaken to achieve the Green Flag award would not have been possible without the continued dedication of volunteers who visit the site weekly to ensure it is a tidy and welcoming place for people to visit.  To celebrate the award, a thank you event for volunteers will be taking place at the site on Wednesday, 20 October.

 

Cannon Hall Museum, Park and Gardens will also be raising their Green Flag award for the second consecutive year. The well-loved visitor attraction continues to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and was recently in Visit Britain’s top ten most visited attractions.

 

Commenting on the news that Worsbrough Mill and Country Park has achieved the Green Flag Award standard, Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making Worsbrough Mill and Country Park worthy of a Green Flag Award.”

“To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure that Worsbrough Mill has high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and is a place that supports people to live healthy lives.”

 

Cllr Tim Cheetham, Cabinet Spokesperson for Place (Regeneration and Culture) said: “The importance of our local green spaces has been really apparent over the last eighteen months and it is vital that we continue to support and enhance them in any way we can.  The team and volunteers at Worsborugh Mill Country Park work incredibly hard to make it a beautiful and relaxing place to visit and we are delighted that all this hard work has paid off by winning the prestigious Green Flag award. We hope that people will come along and see some of the amazing changes that have taken place and discover some the amazing wildlife that make the Country park its home.”

 

David Renwick, Director, England, North, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

“Parks, landscapes and nature form the bedrock of our culture and heritage, improving wellbeing, sparking curiosity, and providing a healthy background for our daily lives.  National Lottery players have highlighted natural heritage as especially important, which is why we are delighted that, thanks to the funding we have provided and the hard work of the team and volunteers, Worsbrough Mill Country Park has been rewarded with a Green Flag. It is a recognition of team efforts, knowledge and commitment to both preserving heritage and providing a quality environment for the community to enjoy. Congratulations to all involved in this achievement.”

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 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.

In celebration of this year’s announcement, Green Flag Award is asking buildings and monuments around the UK to #GoGreenForParks today to show appreciation for the spaces that mean so much to people.

For more information about Worsbrough Mill and Country Park visit www.worsbrough-mill.com

 

A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available here