Flag day for historic park!
Award follows multi-million pound renovation project
THE recently renovated Hanley Park has been recognised with a national award.
The 60-acre city centre park is one of 2,000 outdoor spaces across the country to secure a Green Flag Award.
They are being handed out by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The charity recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green areas across the UK. Burslem Park has also secured a Green Flag.
Hanley’s award recognises the improvements made by the recently completed multi-million pound restoration work which saw its bandstand restored, the main pavilion reinstated as a café and its boathouse brought back to life.
Stoke-on-trent City Council, which owns and maintains the park, successfully bid for £4.5 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund in 2015 to restore the park’s historic features and attract more visitors.
Councillor Carl Edwards, cabinet member for environment at the city council, said: “The park’s transformation over the last few years has been quite incredible and this award feels like a
very fitting culmination to all of the hard work that has taken place to get it looking how it does today.
“One thing the coronavirus pandemic has shown us is just how important it still is to have quality outdoor spaces. Hanley Park, like many of our other parks and green spaces in the city, has become a lifeline for people to relax, meet friends, exercise or just take a break from the day-to-day. The award comes from Keep Britain Tidy, so one of the best things about receiving the award is that it is recognising how tidy the park is.
“Residents and visitors are keeping the space clean and I have heard that since the work has been done, visitor numbers have gone up by 36 per cent.”
Louise Hodgson, development director for Caterleisure, is hopeful that the Green Flag award will have
a positive impact on the park’s new cafés and restaurants. “Anything positive like this brings people in,” she said. “Every visitor to the park is a potential customer for us.
“We are working with the council and we are hoping to bounce back after a tough year.
“We have The Pavilion Café where we serve breakfast, lunch, delicious bakery items, a variety of snacks, traditional ground coffee and Tea from the Manor.
“Both The Boathouse and the East and West annexes in The Pavilion are available for hire. We can comfortably accommodate business meetings and small gatherings following strict Covid lockdown rules.”
Visitors to the park are pleased to see it get some recognition.
Daniel Bailey, aged 34, from Packmoor, who visits with his wife Natalie and their son, Rowan, said: “The work that has been done to the park is great and it’s really taken it up another level.
“We visit the park to take our son to the play area because they have quite a large one with good equipment and he really enjoys it.
“It’s good there is a nice café now at the park where you can sit indoors and have something to eat or drink and make it more of a day out. The Green Flag award is really well deserved.”
John Everill, aged 60, from Fenton, added: “I have seen a big improvement since they have made all of the changes – it’s a lot cleaner and generally tidier.
“I think that people are probably more respectful of it now because it’s such a nice space to walk around so most people don’t want to ruin that.
“It’s perfect to bring the dog or just for a walk on your own. I haven’t visited the café yet but I certainly will.”
■ The Pavilion Café in Hanley Park is open seven days a week from 10am until 3pm.