Country’s green spaces celebrated at the Land Trust Awards 2017

National land management charity the Land Trust this week recognised the benefits, achievements and value of its green spaces around the country at its annual awards ceremony.

Held at the Greenwich Yacht Club in London, the Land Trust Awards 2017 was attended by many of the rangers and volunteers who look after sites on behalf of the charity.

The Site of the Year accolade was jointly awarded to Countess of Chester Country Park in Cheshire and Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park in London.

Countess of Chester Country Park runs a dedicated Health for Life programme, which has been made possible thanks to the support of many partners. It encourages people to get more active in all sorts of ways, with free sessions each week including Buggy Walks, Nordic Walking, Walk to Run and parkrun.

Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, is one of the charity’s smallest sites at just two hectares. It is an urban oasis and home to hundreds of different species, including two new-to-the UK bees discovered recently. It has dedicated educational facilities that allow thousands of school children to visit each year and get hands-on with the natural world.

Other winners on the night were:

• Community Space of the Year – Silverdale Country Park, Staffordshire
• Best Space for Nature – Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, London
• Developing Space for Nature – Warrington, Cheshire
• Health Site of the Year – Countess of Chester Country Park, Cheshire and Langdon Lake & Meadow, Essex
• Educational Site of the Year – Northumberlandia, Northumberland
• Most Improved Space – Parndon Lock Meadows, Essex
• Project of the Year – Avenue Washlands, Derbyshire for Tesco Bags of Help
• Volunteer of the Year – Ian Roberts, Chair of Friends of Countess of Chester Country Park
• Ranger of the Year – Joe Evans of Festival Gardens, Liverpool

Alan Carter, Director of Portfolio Management at the Land Trust, said: “The Land Trust believes that the long-term sustainable management of green spaces can bring many benefits for whole communities and the wider economy, as well as the immediate environment and the health and wellbeing of people who visit.

“The Land Trust Awards give us the opportunity to celebrate the amazing work that our managing partners do to achieve these charitable aims across our sites. Every park, nature reserve or piece of open space has a positive impact on the wildlife, environment and people who live nearby, and it’s really inspiring to get together and celebrate some of their stories and successes.

“It also gives us the opportunity to recognise the tireless work of all the volunteers who get involved with their local sites. They think nothing of giving up their time and we do all we can to ensure that their efforts benefit them in return, whether through the mental and physical wellbeing gains, the skills they learn or the friends they make.”

Many of the Land Trust’s sites have also won external awards, including Port Sunlight River Park which picked up the Community Engagement Award at the 3^rd Sector Care Awards last year, and several have Green Flag status. The Land Trust is an award-winning charity too, taking the Green Business Award at the Cheshire Business Awards 2016, among others.

Katie Lowry, The Conservation Volunteers and Euan Hall, the Land Trust

Mary Doyle and Euan Hall, the Land Trust

Joe Evans, The Conservation Volunteers, and Euan Hall, the Land Trust