PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT
Seven parks get Green Flag awards Record
DID KN W YOU On a single summer’s day, one acre of wildflower meadow can contain up to 3 million flowers, support 96,000 honeybees, and produce 1 kilogram of honey. Reducing mowing to help wildlife keep growing Did you see all the wonderful wildflower meadows and verges around the borough last summer? Last summer the Council cut back on mowing and let more meadows and verges grow, to increase wildflower areas and provide even more spaces for nature around the borough. Wildflower meadows offer the perfect environment for butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects, as well as providing an abundance of attractive blooms through the season. They also added an extra five football pitches worth of wildflower meadows, bringing the total area managed for wildflowers in Telford and Wrekin to 171 acres, the same as 85 football pitches. Once the flowers started to seed, the meadows and verges were mowed to make sure seeds were spread and sown, to regrow these important habitats again this summer.
Protecting more space for nature As part of its commitment to protecting the natural
environment, Telford & Wrekin Council has recently designated two new Local Nature Reserves, so their importance as sites for nature are protected. The two new sites, Langley Fields Local Nature Reserve in Dawley and Horsehay and Simpsons Pools Local Nature Reserve in Horsehay, bring the total number of Local Nature Reserves in Telford and Wrekin to 20, covering more than 1,500 acres, or the equivalent to around 760 football pitches. Town Park voted the cleanest in England The award-winning Telford Town Park has picked up another prize, after being named England’s cleanest! The park and Local
For the first time, a record seven wonderful parks and green spaces in Telford and Wrekin have been awarded Green Flag status. These awards are the international quality mark for well-managed public green spaces. Dothill and Shawbirch Local Nature Reserve have joined Telford Town Park, Bowring Park, Apley Woods Local Nature Reserve, Hartshill Park, Dale End Park and Dawley Park which all retained their Green Flag status too. The Green Flag Award judges said: “These are vital green spaces for the community in Telford and Wrekin, bringing
Nature Reserve, which covers over 445 acres (equivalent to 225 football pitches) includes play areas, sensory and floral gardens, nature and heritage trails, fishing pools, bike hire and mini-golf too. With over 700,000 visitors every year, it’s fantastic that Telford Town Park has been
people together and providing opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles. Staff and volunteers do so much to ensure that they maintain the high standards of the Green Flag Award and everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.” These sites, along with the borough’s parks, Local Nature Reserves and over 300 green guarantee sites all protected from development, mean that in Telford and Wrekin there is more than three times the amount of green space in the borough per 1,000 residents compared to Natural England’s recommended minimum amount.
acknowledged as the cleanest in the country. Did you know,
there are 54 litter bins in Telford Town Park and in total they’re emptied more than 19,000 times every year, and often twice a day or more!
Check out the borough’s wonderful Green Flag parks in this short video youtu.be/J9iJIMut5xQ
Plan your visit to the Town Park www.telfordtownpark.co.uk
TOTALLY TELFORD
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