Cuerden Valley Park has been recognised by the Green Flag Award Scheme as one of the very best in the world. Cuerden joins several other green spaces awarded recognition in the north west.
The park is among a record-breaking 1,883 UK parks and green spaces that will received a prestigious Green Flag Award – the mark of a quality park or green space.
This international award, now into its third decade, is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.
Cuerden Valley Park amounts to 650 acres of grassland, woods and grazing land with miles of paths and provides a ‘green lung’ for the communities of central Lancashire among increasing housing and urban development.
Park Manager Simon Thorpe said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive a Green Flag Award again this year. It’s national recognition for the hard work my staff and volunteers have put into maintaining and developing the Park for the benefit of the local community. What makes our achievement more notable is that the Park is run by a small local charity and receives no central or local government funding.”
Café Manager Jane Pickles added: “Since we launched the new café in April this year we’ve seen visitor numbers to the Park increase. Our staff absolutely love working here. The café is in the stunning new eco-building, with great views and we have lots of friendly customers.”
International Green Flag Award scheme manager Paul Todd said: “We are delighted to be celebrating another record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award scheme, with more Green Flags awarded this year than last year.”
“Each flag honours the thousands of staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award. We are proud to have so many wonderful green spaces in the UK for people to enjoy, and hope that next year, we award even more flags.”