Borough’s parks get the seal of approval

It was announced today that all of our eight green flag sites in the borough have retained the accolade for the second year running.

The award, the national benchmark for parks, rewards green spaces that meet the gold standard on a range of categories, including facilities, management and community involvement.

The borough’s green flag parks are:

Heywood

• Queen’s Park

Middleton  

• Truffet Park, Langley 
• Middleton Cemetery, Boarshaw

Pennines 

• Hare Hill Park, Littleborough 
• Milnrow Memorial Gardens

Rochdale 

• Broadfield Park 
• Rochdale Memorial Gardens 
• Packer Spout Gardens

Rochdale Memorial Gardens has recently benefited from improvements to the memorial fountain and landscaping changes. The gardens are now looked after under one management plan alongside Packer Spout and Broadfield Park as Rochdale town centre parks, making it easier to plan events across all three sites.

Truffet Park in Langley stepped up its events programme this summer to include a successful children’s wildlife festival, while the Victorian Queen’s Park was a focal point for the borough’s Jubilee celebrations with its original heritage features.

Milnrow Memorial Park boasts some unusual landscape art in the shape of the Milnrow giant, while Hare Hill Park is a Victorian treasure in Littleborough with a classic bandstand and beautiful views across the Pennines.

Middleton cemetery has got two reasons to celebrate, as 2012 marks 100 years since it was opened in Boarshaw Lane. The site is going from strength to strength with a recent extension providing new burial space, pathways and car parking.

Councillor Martin Burke, Cabinet Member for Internal and Environmental Services at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Our borough is in the privileged position of having stunning parks, which just get better and better thanks in part to the work of our many friends of parks groups, who give up their time to ensure that our green spaces continue to be the jewel in the borough’s crown.”