Date: 25/07/2006
England's best parks and green spaces were revealed by Liveability Minister Kay Andrews and amongst the winners of the prestigious Green Heritage Award was Pavilion Gardens. The Gardens gained a Green Flag Award last year and have now obtained the coveted Heritage Award; one of only 21 in the whole of the UK and the very first in the East Midlands.
The Green Heritage Award administered by the Civic Trust, is only available to parks that firstly achieve the standard of Green Flag. The site then needs to pass a subsequent number of further criteria demonstrating how well the heritage value of the site is promoted and conserved.
The full criteria, includes 8 main areas;
Over the past 12 months in order to obtain this award, the Parks Team has been actively working together with the Friends of Pavilion Gardens to make the necessary improvements. These have included:
Bill Barratt, Chair of the Friends of Pavilion Gardens, was delighted with this award and said: "This award has recognised the hard work undertaken not just over the past 12 months, but during the restoration programme to make significant improvements. We have such a wonderful park in Buxton this is an asset to the whole community."
Councillor John Pritchard, Executive Member for Community and Social Development also recognised this achievement saying: "The Council has set clear targets to achieve excellence in its major parks. This is supported by a very significant capital programme that demonstrates its commitment to providing facilities within our parks that are both welcoming and accessible for local residents. The award recognises that we have achieved this at Pavilion Gardens."
The Civic Trust will be organising an Award Ceremony at the International Conference Centre in Birmingham on Thursday 3 August 2006, where delegates from High Peak Borough Council will be attending.