Neath Port Talbot’s parks raise the Green Flag yet again

No less than five of Neath Port Talbot’s parks have been recognised as amongst the best in the country and that’s official!

Margam Park, Victoria Gardens, Afan Forest Park, The Gnoll Country Park and Talbot Memorial Park have been awarded the prestigious ‘Green Flag’, an accolade given to the best green spaces in England and Wales. The ‘Green Flag’ provides a sign to visitors that the parks are managed and maintained to a high standard, with excellent facilities.

The aim of the ‘Green Flag’ scheme is to increase the quality of parks and green spaces across England and Wales. Any green space is eligible to apply, providing visitors can enter free of charge.

The judging criteria requires the space to be welcoming, healthy, safe and secure, clean and well maintained. Community involvement and the marketing and management of the space are also taken into consideration, as are sustainability, conservation and heritage factors.

News of the awards coincides with celebrations for Love Parks Week, which runs from 24^th July to 2^nd August and is a national campaign, held annually, to raise awareness of the importance of parks.

Cllr. Ali Thomas OBE, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council said:

“The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom and I am delighted that it will be flying over five of our wonderful parks this year.

“We have secured funding from various organisations over recent years to improve our parks and the awards confirm that the money has been well spent for the benefit of visitors and local people.

“I would especially like to thank parks’ staff and the ‘Friends of’ groups at Margam Park, Talbot Memorial Park and the Gnoll for their invaluable contributions. We can all be very proud of this achievement.”

Victoria Gardens, listed by Cadw, is located in the heart of Neath town centre and is much loved by residents and visitors to the town. Following £1.4m of restoration work, which included the refurbishment of the 19th century bandstand, more than 450,000 people visit the gardens every year to enjoy the tranquil setting. The Gardens host a range of events throughout the year including concerts, exhibitions by local artists and children’s entertainment.

Gnoll Country Park has seen extensive replanting after the disease Phytophthora Ramorum hit the park in 2013. The work aims to restore the park to its former glory and ensure that the wooded areas can be enjoyed by generations to come.

Afan Forest Park has been pedalling its way to mountain bike glory for 15 years. Widely respected as one of the best mountain bike centres in the world, the area offers 48 square miles of forestry for walking or cycling, with no distractions from the outside world.

Margam Country Park has seen some major renovations in recent years. The Citrus House has benefitted from a complete overhaul and extensive conservation work has been carried out on the Historic Chapter House. The Ornamental Gardens and Castle Boardwalk steps have been restored to their former glory ensuring the character of the park is kept alive.

Originally part of the Margam estate, Talbot Memorial Park boasts a fine central bandstand and war memorial.