Tarvin Community Woodland Flies the Flag

Tarvin Community Woodland flies the flag as one of the country's best parks. Our woodland joins parks and green spaces as diverse as the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Woodhouse Park in Peterlee and Chiswick Old Cemetery in London.

In a record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award, as the scheme marks its Silver Jubilee in 2021, Tarvin Community Woodland is one of 2127 celebrating success today. The award is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

After 18 months that have seen our parks and green spaces play a vital role for people through lockdowns as a place to relax, exercise and meet friends and family safely, the news that Tarvin Community Woodland has achieved the Green Flag Community Award is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that make the green space a great space that everyone can enjoy.

Commenting on the news that our woodland has achieved the Green Flag Award standard, Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said: "I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making Tarvin Community Woodland worthy of a Green Flag Award. To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure the high standards of safety and environmental management and it is a place that supports people to live healthy lives."

Chair of Tarvin Community Woodland Trust, John Sim, said "The Trustees, volunteers and the whole Tarvin Community are delighted to have received the award for the twelfth consecutive year; within the same, high scoring band as the last one. Jim Grogan, the driving force behind creating the woodland, originally applied for the first award and received it before his death, together with an award for special innovation because it was the first such "ex-highways" land to be transferred in such a manner. The woodland has been used heavily over the Covid-19 period and provided great benefits to the community in terms of both physical and mental health. We are grateful to the Parish Council and members of the community who support us financially and the volunteers who keep the woodland in such good condition."

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 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.

Ed: It so happens that the Community Woodland Trust is holding a coffee morning between 10.00 and 12.00 on this coming Saturday at the Methodist Church – see our article on 12th October. If time permits, attending this event would be one way of showing appreciation for the work that goes into maintaining and developing this wonderful community facility.