News from Harlow Council: Harlow Town Park among top 10 parks in the country as the nation picks the best of British

 

Harlow Town Park has been named among the 10 best green spaces in the country for the first time in the Green Flag People’s Choice 2019 Awards.

With more than 1,800 sites to choose from – all of which meet the standards demanded by the international Green Flag Award programme – the public have chosen their 10 favourites, casting over 45,000 votes.

The Town Park has held Green Flag status for the past four years, which is a sign that it holds the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities. The park is maintained by a mixture of Harlow Council staff, teams from HTS (Property & Environment) Ltd and volunteer groups.

The park was designed by Dame Sylvia Crowe and opened in 1957. The park underwent a major refurbishment in 2015 and received its first Green Flag in 2016.

Among the facilities in the town park are the popular Pets’ Corner, five unique gardens, a bandstand, adventure playground and inclusive play area, an outdoor gym, a paddling pool, skate park, café, marshes and meadows.

Paul Todd, Green Flag Award manager, said: “We know that parks matter to people and that receiving a Green Flag Award brings a real sense of achievement and pride to staff, volunteers and the community.

“The number of people that took the time to vote for their favourite park is a testament to how much these spaces are valued and we congratulate this year’s top 10.”

The 10 winners of the 2019 People’s Choice Award are (in alphabetical order):

 

Clifton Park

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Elsecar Park and Local Reservoir Nature Reserve

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Harlow Town Park

Harlow District Council

Hollycroft Park

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council

Strathaven Park

South Lanarkshire Council

University of Essex Wivenhoe Park

University of Essex

Valentines Park

Vision Redbridge

Victoria Park (Tower Hamlets)

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Victoria Park (Widnes)

Halton Metropolitan Borough Council

Warley Woods

Warley Woods Community Trust

Commenting on the win Councillor Mark Ingall, Leader of Harlow Council, said:
“The news just keeps getting better for our wonderful Town Park, which has received a number of awards this year. We are all absolutely delighted that the people consider the Town Park to be one of the very best parks in the country – no mean feat when there are so many fantastic places to choose from. We would like to thank everyone who voted for Harlow Town Park, it just shows how much people are proud of this jewel in Harlow’s crown.  

“Having received its fourth consecutive Green Flag Award in July, of which we are immensely proud, it is absolutely incredible that our park (which is only one of two in Essex to be included) is a top-10 green space!

“This is another testament to the exceptional work that our officers, HTS and volunteers carry out each and every week. I want to thank everyone involved in making the Town Park one of the country’s shining examples of what a green space can be.”