03 December 2015
Telford Town Park has won the title of 'UK's Best Park' after
receiving the most number of public votes.
The win comes following a nationwide search by national charity,
Fields in Trust (FiT), to find a green space worthy of claiming the
title. The award was handed out last night (2nd Dec) at
the charity's annual awards ceremony which took place at Lord's
Cricket Ground in London.
The park was one of three parks from across the UK to be
shortlisted for the award. A total of 122 UK parks were nominated
and over eight thousand public votes were cast.
The FiT's award ceremony celebrates the great work being done in
parks and play grounds across the UK. Eleven awards were handed out
on the night, with this being the first year that the ceremony has
featured a category voted entirely by the public.
Telford Town Park, which is owned by Telford & Wrekin
Council, was nominated by a member of 'Friends of Telford Town
Park', a group which started in 2003 to help give the park extra
care and attention. The nomination was made because of the range of
attractions available at the park and there being 'something for
everyone', including a sensory garden, a mix of biodiversity, a
nature reserve and formal gardens. A section of the field is
protected with FIT as a Queen Elizabeth II Field*.
Chris Pettman, from The Friends of Telford Town Park, who
nominated the park attended, last night's award ceremony. He, said:
"We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award. The park acts
as a real community hub and after lots of hard work to help improve
its facilities by the council, the local community and the Friends
of Telford Park group, it is fantastic that all that the park
brings to the area has been recognised.
"We thank everyone who voted for the park and can't wait to
celebrate the win with the community!"
Also accepting the award was Nicola Allen, Telford Town Park
Manager, who said" This is a fantastic achievement for the whole
team, work colleagues, senior officers, members of the council and
the Friends of Telford Town Park. Just brilliant!"
The charity's search for the 'UK's Best Park' started around a
month ago when communities from across the country were encouraged
to nominate and vote for their favourite local park, sports field
or playground they believed would be worthy of the title.
Local MP, Lucy Allan, said: "This is a great achievement
and one that will be celebrated across Telford. The town
park is arguably the jewel of Telford's crown and it is
fantastic for it to receive this national award.
"Winning this award would not have been possible without the
hard work and commitment shown by Telford and Wrekin Council
and most importantly the Friends of Telford Town Park, who have
volunteered thousands of hours since forming in 2003, and who
make the town park the wonderful place it is."
The two other parks that made the shortlist for the award were
Gheluvelt Park in Worcester which was nominated because of its
interactive water feature, play area and gardens, and Duthie Park
in Aberdeen because it plays host to regular events for the city,
has a great kids' play area and is known as great all-rounder for a
family day out.
Fields in Trust, which was founded 90 years ago by King George
V, has a mission to ensure that everyone - young or old,
able-bodied or disabled and wherever they live - should have access
to free, local outdoor space for sport, play and recreation.
Helen Griffiths, Fields in Trust Chief Executive said: "We
congratulate Friends of Telford Town Park and Telford & Wrekin
Council on their award win. It was clear to see from the huge
number of votes that the park received that it's an outdoor asset
that is very much valued by the local community. Everyone who has
contributed to helping make the park was it is today should be
extremely proud of this achievement."