A celebration was held in Stubbylee Park, Bacup, to celebrate the ‘best parks in Rossendale’ retaining their Green Flag status.
Stubbylee and adjacent Moorlands Park were anonymously visited and assessed to achieve this award for the second year.
The parks are maintained by Rossendale Council Green Spaces Team and volunteers from Friends of Stubbylee Park, an offshoot of Bacup Pride.
Treasurer of Bacup Pride Councillor Andrew Walmsley welcomed everyone to the celebration in the Rose Garden in Stubbylee,
Councillor Walmsley said: “I want to thank so many people from the community groups, individuals and the council who all came together a decade ago to form the Stubbylee Masterplan Group.
“In the early stage, the document was aspirational and a massively unaffordable wish list, however, much has been achieved in the last decade: improvements to the duck pond, a new pump track, complete renovation of the outdated playground, the opening of the Greenhouses Stables Café and the ongoing work to improve the skatepark.”
Last year, when the park achieved its first Green Flag, Covid prevented a proper celebration, but this year local community were allowed to celebrate in style.
Mayor of Rossendale Councillor Anne Cheetham is also president of Edenfield and District Horticultural Society and said attending the celebration was a great privilege and described the park as a ‘hidden gem.’
She presented a beautiful red rose to Pat Smith, Chair of Bacup Pride to be planted in the Rose Garden, in memory of Sylvia Lancaster, who sadly died this year. A tree in memory of Sylvia’s daughter Sophie also grows in the park.
Pat paid tribute to the parks team of Dawn Ashworth and John Hollows for their support for Bacup Pride and the fantastic work in the park, especially the Rose Garden.
Greensclough Councillor Barbara Ashworth, whose ward the park is in, said: “We now officially have the best park in Rossendale, and I’d like to thank everyone who has come to the celebration.”
A Green Flag is an international mark of quality given to Parks and Green Spaces and the Bacup parks are the first ones in Rossendale to be awarded the standard. The council are working hard to achieve the Green Flag Award for more parks across Rossendale.
Captions
The Green Flag celebration party in the Rose Garden at Stubbylee Park, Bacup.
Mayor Councillor Anne Cheetham presents Chair of Bacup Pride Pat Smith with a red rose in memory of Sylvia Lancaster.
Rossendale Council gardeners John Hollows and Dawn Ashworth in the stunning Rose Garden.
Credits: Catherine Smyth media