Battery Park nominated for best park award
Battery Park has been nominated for the Fields in Trust UK’s Best Park Award and now needs public votes to win. Over the last few weeks 360 nominations have been received by Fields in Trust for parks and green spaces that are a much loved part of their local communities.
Now the list of nominations has been published and residents are being urged to cast your vote.
Inverclyde Council’s Environment and Regeneration Convener, Councillor Michael McCormick, said: “Battery Park is a park with some of the best views in the country across the Clyde to the Argyll Hills. Maybe I am biased, but you would be hard pressed to find somewhere better.The park is loved by visitors of all ages and is home to a range of sports and activities.In the past few years, the Council has even moved the first games of the Scottish season, Gourock Highland Games, to the park as its permanent home.“
For the park to be nominated for this award is a very good accolade on its own. Now it’s time for all of us to cast our votes and make sure Battery Park gets the top award.”
Across the UK nominations include large nature reserves and small community gardens, sports fields and playgrounds, each one a green space valued by the local community. Fields in Trust is a national charity that operates throughout the UK to safeguard recreational spaces and campaign for better statutory protection for all kinds of outdoor sites. Battery Parkis one of 360 nominated parks across the UK. The park with the most votes in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be shortlisted and nominators will be invited to attend the prestigious Fields in Trust Awards at Lord’s Cricket Ground in November where the UK's Best Park 2017 will be named.
Fields in Trust Chief Executive, Helen Griffiths, said: "Despite their clear health benefits, parks and green spaces are facing an uncertain future - across the UK outdoor spaces are under threat. The UK’s Best Park Award celebrates the parks and green spaces which are so vital to the communities that use them. Recognising the UK's Best Park is a way of revaluing our green spaces; not viewing them just as a drain on resources for maintenance and upkeep - but seeing what benefits they bring; access to good quality recreational space can contribute to the physical and mental health of their local population and provide places for people to get together for community events."