25 August 2016
Clay House Park West Vale, Halifax receives Green Flag Award for the very first time
Clay House Park is in the heart of West Vale, Halifax. The Clay House Park Community Group was set up in 2013, and as a result of all their hard work, the park has been given the Green Flag Award for the very first time.
The park is an attractive, well-managed and properly maintained park which boasts many visitors of all ages and backgrounds.
The Clay House Park Community Group is made up of Adele Oswin, Malcolm Lumb, Sue and Richard Corney. They formed the group when they decided enough was enough, they had seen their park become neglected and that it needed some love and care. They wanted to bring the park back to its former glory, how they remember it 30 years ago.
In order to secure the Green Flag Award status the group had a lot of work to do and had to commit a lot of time to the park along the way.
The group built a relationship with Calderdale Council Safer Cleaner Greener scheme and with the help of area manager Philip Schofield and area operative (now area supervisor) Grant Matthews, the park has blossomed. The first big project the team helped with was to remove all the overhanging ivy that had overtaken most of the formal terrace in front of Clay House itself, and they managed to remove almost a quarter of a tonne of green waste.
Other work that was carried out:
- Removed weeds from flagstones around the garden of remembrance
- Planted additional daffodils around the site
- Weeded all the herbaceous beds
- Repainted the pergola
- Planted a wide variety of plants in the herbaceous long border
The group were pleased to receive funding for the Green Flag Award application from Jarabosky (UK) Ltd, Bradley Mills, West Vale, a local company that produces artisan furniture from reclaimed exotic hardwoods. The group met with Jarabosky (UK) Ltd and after they shared stories of their work within Clay House Park, they were happy to fund the cost of their application.
Adele Oswin, Chairperson of Clayhouse Park community group said: "Firstly we are absolutely delighted to have received our Green Flag Award for Clayhouse Park, especially on our first time of entering.
Clayhouse Park community group is a small group of volunteers but all have a passion for the park, there has been a lot of hard work in the three years when we first formed the group, but within this time we have made Clay House Park a better place for everyone to enjoy. Then to be awarded the Green Flag Award, well the group are very proud."
The Clay House Park Community Group meet every Saturday at 1:30pm and if you have a spare hour, they would love people to get involved to make a difference.
