16 September 2015
Haysden Country Park's Green Flag flew proudly overhead on
Saturday 12 September as rangers, park volunteers and council
officers celebrated achieving the Green Flag Award for 10
consecutive years.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary Keep Britain Tidy's Green
Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd presented Cllr Maria Heslop,
Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council's Cabinet
Member for Community Services, with a certificate to mark the
occasion.
He says: "A Green Flag flying overhead is a sign to the
public that the park boasts the highest possible standards, is
beautifully maintained and has excellent facilities. You only
have to look around to see how true that is. Very high
standards have been maintained over an entire decade and this
certificate recognises that."
Cllr Maria Heslop says: "To achieve
this prestigious award for 10 years running is testament to the
rangers and staff involved, volunteer groups, wildlife specialists,
partnership organisations and visitors for their continuing efforts
to help us improve and develop the park. There's no doubt that
their efforts have paid off. Haysden Country Park provides a
superb open space for local people to enjoy and is more popular
with visitors than ever. We are very fortunate to have such
enthusiastic and committed volunteers, who clock up some 2,000
hours each year and anyone who is enthusiastic and willing to 'get
their hands dirty' (although protective gloves are supplied!) would
be very welcome to come along and swell the ranks - who knows,
maybe we'll manage 3,000 volunteer hours next year!"
Led by the British Trust for Conservation
Volunteers under the Green Gym Programme, volunteering began at
Haysden Country Park in 2002. The Haysden Country Park
Volunteers is now a properly constituted volunteer group of around
thirty members, of whom some twenty normally attend each of the
monthly 'task days' when they receive training and learn new
skills. The volunteers are involved in a wide range of
projects throughout the park from fundraising, wildlife and
wildflower monitoring, to conservation, and habitat management and
maintenance tasks.
Further information on the Haysden Country Park
Volunteers and how to join is available on the Council's website www.tmbc.gov.uk/parkhelp.
Prospective volunteers can also telephone the Council's Leisure
Services on 01732 876166.
Set in a beautiful area of countryside covering about 165 acres
in the Medway Valley to the west of Tonbridge, Haysden Country Park
includes a children's play area and a range of habitats such as
grassland, freshwater lakes, marshland and woodland, which are home
to a wealth of insects, birds and animals. The park has play
sculptures and an oak sculpture can be found in the Friendship Wood
to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of twinning between Tonbridge
and Malling and Heusenstamm. The park is also a designated
Local Nature Reserve and visitors can explore the nature trails
that wind through the park.