A record number of parks and green spaces collected a Keep Britain Tidy Green Flag Award last week and Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust (TCCT) are delighted to announce that Cockington Country Park, Torquay, was one of them!
Not only is the country park recognised by the Green Flag Award Scheme as one of the very best in the world, but is one of only 5 sites in the UK that have held the award since its launch which means it’s the 23rd flag for the country park.
Cockington is among a record-breaking 1,970 UK parks and green spaces that have received a prestigious Green Flag in 2019 – the mark of a quality park or green space. An international award now into its third decade, the Green Flag is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.
Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust is Torbay’s independent conservation charity and is responsible for the care and maintenance of Cockington Country Park. This care could not be achieved without the massive contribution made by a small army of local volunteers. The Cockington Green Heart Appeal Project has been largely responsible for the parks success and has provided means to refurbish parts of the park in recent years including the historic lakes, the Gamekeeper’s cottage, which is now home to the park’s voluntary trainee team, and The Linhay, which serves as the Park’s Visitor Centre.
Damian Offer, Chief Executive of Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust said:
“We are delighted to receive the Green Flag Award for 23rd year running”.
“The award celebrates high quality green spaces like Cockington. It is great acknowledgement of the huge effort made by everyone involved in caring for this very special part of Torbay. We could not have achieved the Green Flag for 23 consecutive years without the generous help of Cockington’s friends and volunteers, for which we are extremely grateful”.
Hannah Worthington, former Cockington Green Heart Access Officer said:
“A part of the Green Heart Project was to deliver a programme of community volunteering, for all ages and abilities. Our volunteers have been involved in virtually all areas of the parks regeneration including landscaping around the lakes, many general maintenance tasks as well as helping in the Visitor Centre. Since its start in 2015, over 140 volunteers have helped deliver the project, contributing a collective 6000 hours of their time! Time that has helped achieve the high standards required to qualify for Green Flag recognition.”
International Green Flag Award scheme manager Paul Todd said:
“It’s fantastic that we have more Green Flag Awards in the UK than ever before, joined this year by 131 International winners.”
“Each flag honours the thousands of staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award. We congratulate each and every winner on their fantastic achievement.”
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