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 Flag Award was Howard Park in Glossop. The Park gained a Green Flag Award for the first time this year.
The Green Flag Award administered by the Civic Trust, is the only comprehensive national benchmark available to parks. The site needs to pass a subsequent number of criteria which includes 8 main areas:
Over the past 18 months in order to obtain this award, the Parks Team has been actively working together with the Friends of Howard Park to make the necessary improvements. These have included:
Gerard Riley, Chair of the Friends of Howard Park, was delighted with this award and said: "This award has recognised the hard work undertaken over the past 18 months to make significant improvements. This hidden gem is a delight for residents and visitors to Glossop."
Councillor John Pritchard, Executive Member 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, which demonstrates its commitment to provide welcoming, accessible facilities within our parks for local residents. The award recognises that we have achieved this at Howard Park.'
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 and the Friends group will be attending.