Our country park has made headlines several times in the last few months and for all the right reasons.
Back in July we learned we had achieved Local Nature Reserve status, which meant our work on managing the future of the park had been recognised and approved by English Nature.
Shortly after the celebrations we were awarded a Green Flag, along with Alexandra Park. The Green Flag awards are the benchmark for quality open spaces and only 423 places across the country received the accolade this year. Parks must be accessible, safe and well used by the community in order to be chosen by the Civic Trust, an independent national charity.
Work at the Country Park continues apace as we continue to improve the natural habitat and encourage wildlife and vegetation to flourish.
One of our most recent campaigns has been the return of cattle to Warren Glen.
If you’ve been up to the Country Park in recent days, you will no doubt have come across our latest residents, four Highland cattle, currently making themselves at home.
These hardy animals are ideal for grazing difficult and rough terrain and have been shipped down to tackle some of our overgrown vegetation. They’ll trample down and eat the bracken and should help encourage gorse, grassland and heather.
The country park is a fascinating place to visit at any time of the year. It is protected both as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation. We have steadily helped to halt the decline in farmland birds and kept people up to date with the work we have been carrying out over recent months.
There are always plenty of events taking place from conservation days with our rangers to spooky Halloween story telling by lamplight with Ben Fairlight-Edwards.
For more information about all our open spaces and details of events, log on to: www.wildhastings.org.uk
Alexandra Park is officially the best in the South East.
This fantastic achievement was announced in July as part of the 2006 Britain’s Best Parks competition.
The park was reviewed on a range of criteria and the judges were particularly impressed with the high level of maintenance and how hard everyone worked to make it a safe and welcoming place.
Peter Mead, amenities manager at Hastings Borough Council, said:
"This award is a fantastic achievement for Hastings and it’s great to have the hard work of everyone acknowledged. It’s a testament to the commitment and high standards of work from the team here."
Ian Small, UK sales manager for competition sponsors Briggs & Stratton, said the park was a beautifully maintained valley, landscaped around its natural contours making it an attractive environment for all ages.
If this wasn’t enough the park once again received the Green Flag award and Green Heritage Site status this year as proof of our ongoing commitment to this fantastic community asset.
Green Flags are a mark of excellence and are awarded by the Civic Trust. Each site is judged on its own merits and the benefits it brings to the community it serves.
We’ve been awarded the accolade for three years running and are on course for a fourth.
The park re-opened in April 2004 after a huge makeover. Thousands of people flocked to welcome star guest, Charlie Dimmock, as she unveiled the plaque at the bandstand.
Since then Alexandra Park has been in constant demand, with community events, play days and sports competitions.
This summer has been one of our busiest, with a host of events for younger children to teenagers.
One of most recent assets, the multi-use games area, has proved incredibly popular providing facilities for basketball, netball and football. Sited next door to the tennis courts, the park has become a haven for sports enthusiasts.
To find out more about your park visit our Parks and Open Spaces pages.
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This page last updated: 12/09/2006