19th December 2025
The Countess of Chester Country Park, managed by green space management charity, the Land Trust continues to fly its Green Flag with pride after receiving a glowing report following a recent unannounced evaluation by a mystery shopper in September.
The mystery shopper visited the country park to assess seven key areas including how welcoming the space is; is it healthy, safe and secure; is it well maintained and clean; does it have a positive impact on the environment; are heritage and landscape features in good condition; are their opportunities for community involvement and engagement and is the site promoted and marketed well.
Thanks to the dedication, commitment and hard work of the Land Trust and its partners, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and the Friends of Countess of Chester Country Park, the 29-hectare former landfill site was rated green in all seven areas meaning that it meets the stringent criteria and there are no concerns to report.
The Green Flag Award scheme is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy and recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard across the United Kingdom and around the world. Formal inspections of green sites take place every other year with unannounced inspections in between to ensure high standards are always maintained.
The country park received excellent feedback from the mystery shopper who recognised that it has excellent signage and is easy to find; it’s very accessible to all visitors including those with disabilities; it is very clean, well maintained and feels safe to visit; there is an excellent ranger station and community involvement is evident.
The Countess of Chester Country Park is a real success story and a stunning location to visit with a mixture of woodland, grassland and wetland areas. Last year it celebrated its tenth anniversary and over the last decade or so, the team has worked extremely hard to develop numerous projects and partnerships to enhance and develop it.
These include working with Life for Life, a charity that plants memorial trees in memory of loved ones, and Chester Zoo through the Wildlife Connections programme, the Nature Recovery Corridor project and currently Networks for Nature.
TCV has provided ongoing opportunities for community engagement through weekly Green Gym volunteering sessions. These sessions help maintain the site for visitors and wildlife but also allow volunteers to develop new skills, enhance their physical and mental well-being, and meet new people.
Working alongside TCV and the Land Trust, the committed Friends of Countess of Chester Country Park group has undertaken various projects that have positively impacted the community and the local wildlife. The Friendly Bench, a Fallen for the Fallen WW1 Memorial Trail and a Rubbing Plaques Trail, to name just a few, which have become key parts of the site for visitors to engage with, alongside many regular community activities.
Last year the Friends of group were fortunate in being able to have on loan from The Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership their Cheshire’s Wonderful Wildlife Posters by artist Nicky Thompson. Installed as a circular trail they showcase 12 beautiful wildlife illustrations inspired by British Transport posters for visitors to explore and they include an activity trail aimed at young children with a worksheet which can be picked up at the first poster. More recently they worked with Chester artist Russell Kirk to install a large metal Dragonfly which hovers over the wetland as part of their ‘The Dipping Platform Reimagined’ project.
The Land Trust’s Head of Estates North, Sarah Palgrave-Neath, said: “The Countess of Chester Country Park is a key part of the Chester community, and our local partners, volunteers and colleagues work tirelessly to not only make it a lovely park to visit but also a site we can all feel extremely proud of.
“I am delighted that the park has been recognised so highly again and not only retains its eight-year green flag status, but the fact it was so highly commended by a mystery shopper is testament to everyone involved in making the park the success it is on a continual basis. Well done to everyone involved.”
Neil McMahon from The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) added: “This is our eighth year winning the Green Flag Award. It means a lot to us, and it shows that our volunteers are recognised for all their hard work in looking after the Countess of Chester Country Park.”
Andy Scargill, Chair of the Countess of Chester Country Park Friends Group concluded: “As Chair of the friends’ group here at the Countess of Chester Country Park we’re really happy to support the work of TCV and the Land Trust, it’s great to celebrate the amazing work, particularly from the volunteers to make this a Green Flag awarded park.”