Three Teignbridge Parks Named Among Country's Best (published 28.07.10)
Courtenay Park in Newton Abbot has today been named as Teignbridge's newest Green Flag park, with previous winners Decoy Country Park and Teignmouth Den also receiving the prestigious national award for their fifth and third years respectively.
Green Flag Awards are a nationally recognised symbol of quality, and with the school holidays underway they help signpost the very best local parks and resorts.
All three areas stood out after impressing the judges with their excellent use of green space, well-maintained facilities and high standard of safety and security. Courtenay Park won the award having entered for the first time, having recently also enjoyed a £46k revamp of its popular children's play area.
Elsewhere the awards mean that Teignmouth Den has been recognised as one of the country's best quality facilities for the third year running, and Decoy Country Park for the fifth year in a row. All three winners achieved a high standard in eight key criteria, and were judged to be welcoming, safe and well maintained, with strong involvement from of the local community.
Between them the sites offer children's wet play, adventure golf, a multi-use games area, country walks, watersports, natural play areas, refreshments, BMX and skateboarding facilities, and much more.
Cllr Anne Fry, Teignbridge Executive Spokesperson for Recreational Services said:
"With the summer holidays upon us now is the perfect time for people of all ages to get outside and enjoy their local parks, and we're delighted to offer some of the best in the country.
"We have an ongoing commitment to providing top quality open spaces and recreational activities, and these Green Flag Awards are a welcome confirmation that we're continuing to deliver this for residents and visitors.
"Much hard work goes in to maintaining our parks and keeping the clean, safe and welcoming, and we're grateful to the staff and volunteers from the local community who help make all the difference.
"This year I have been delighted to use money from my County Councillors Community Fund to add to the money available from Teignbridge to upgrade the toddlers play area in Courtenay Park, including the replacement of the much missed train, and it's wonderful to see this area being recognised with the Green Flag for the first time."
This year has seen the highest number of awards handed out – a record 1200 Green Flags and Green Pennants across the UK compared to 1,013 in 2009. Green Pennants are awarded to parks or green spaces managed by a community or voluntary group.
Only green spaces that are free to enter and open to the public are eligible to win an award through the scheme, which is run by environmental charities Keep Britain Tidy, BTCV and GreenSpace.
Teignmouth Den is a popular destination for local people and tourists, boosted by over £1M of investment from Teignbridge in recent years. It includes an award winning play area – which at the time of building was the first in Teignbridge to include interactive wet play. It was followed by an adventure golf course and Multi-Use Games Area, and in June 2010 was complemented by a brand new skate park adjacent to the Den on the seafront promenade.
This year marks the fifth time that Teignbridge has won the Green Flag Award at Decoy Country Park in Newton Abbot. Decoy is one of the most popular open spaces in the district, offering beautiful walks, play facilities and water sports. In 2008 it was improved even further with the opening of a £200k extreme sports facility, including a BMX and skateboard concrete bowl skatepark. Decoy also features Teignbridge's second interactive wet-play facility, the 'Decoy Wow Wow Wet Area', opened in 2007. It replaced the out-dated paddling pool, and has proved a big hit with visiting families ever since.
Situated on the edge of Newton Abbot, Decoy attracts over a quarter of a million visitors each year and is extremely popular with residents and visitors alike across South Devon. It hosts many sports and recreational events, and with everything from high flying BMX to bug-hunting nature events making it a versatile destination for people of all ages.
Courtenay Park, meanwhile, entered and won the award for the first time this year. The popular area is characterised by its bandstand, which hosts a variety of musical events from May to September. It also features a covered shelter built for teenagers to meet at, and most recently a £46k boost has seen a new train-themed play area installed, offering play equipment predominantly for toddlers.
The traditional park is well appointed, acting as a gateway to the town in its position opposite Newton Abbot rail station.