Stubbylee and Moorland Park and Rawtenstall Library Gardens raise prestigious Green Flag Awards after achieving international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
Rossendale Borough Council is celebrating after receiving not one but two Green Flag Awards for Stubbylee and Moorlands Park and Rawtenstall Library Gardens.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Stubbylee and Moorlands Park has achieved the accreditation and is testament to the hard work and dedication of the of the council team and a group of dedicated volunteers that care for the green space for the enjoyment of visitors and residents.
This year Rawtenstall's Library Gardens was also recognised for the first time.
Rossendale Borough Council Green Spaces Manager Dave McChesney said: “There is a tremendous amount of hard work that goes into achieving Green Flag status and we couldn’t do it without the help from Civic Pride Rossendale, who do an amazing job. They are in there most days of the week, along with the Council’s Green Spaces Team who carry out weekly maintenance.
“We’ve made some improvements to the garden to help with the bid such as installation of new benches, resurfacing work, new planting themes for each flower bed and a handrail for the steps.
“Civic Pride, with the help of the Council, created a rockery feature on the front slope which provides an attractive display for people passing by. Civic Pride also created a ‘wild’ area for biodiversity which incorporates an old tree stem that has been left in situ as a habitat for insects, and pollinator-friendly planting, which is great for the environment.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved at Stubbylee and Moorlands Park and the Library Gardens on achieving a Green Flag Award.
“These are vital green spaces for communities in Rossendale to socialise, enjoy nature, for children to play safely and it provides important opportunities for park users to improve their physical and mental health.
“We know that staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that it maintains the high standards of the Green Flag Award, everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.”
Cllr Adrian Lythgoe said “This is great news for Rosendale. The achievement really highlights the beauty and quality of our parks, and our residents should be immensely proud of our wonderful green spaces.
"A heartfelt thank you to the staff and volunteers whose hard work and dedication have made this possible. Their efforts ensure our parks remain places of pride and joy for everyone in our community."
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.