Friends
of Filey Parks
The
Friends of Filey Parks are a voluntary group founded in
the spring of 2003 to enhance the environment and enjoyment
of the public open spaces in Filey. Their first project
was the revitalising of Nuns Walk, formerly the gardens
behind the Evron Centre on John Street. The garden
was restored as a 'natural' area where anyone can walk,
sit quietly or picnic. There are many native trees
planted including oak, ash, holly, horse chestnut and
hazel along with numerous wild flowers and bulbs such
as daffodils. Bird boxes were put up and a grant
was obtained for picnic benches to establish the picnic
area. Filey's Mayor at the time, Councillor Freda
Coultas, planted a mulberry tree to launch the opening
at Easter in 2004 and Father SeanO'Donnell of St. Mary's
Roman Catholic Church in Filey gave a blessing for the
gardens.
Other
work carried out by the Friends of Filey Parks has including
landscaping and planting the fishermen's bed on Station
Avenue in 2005; planning and fundraising for a maze on
Crescent gardens, completed in August 2008; and planting
1000 native sappling trees in Glen Gardens and the adjacent
West Avenue Car Park area in winter 2008. Other
recent developments in Glen Gardens include additional
equipment for the play area to improve facilities for
older children, and in the car park the provision of a
new multi use games area.
The
Friends are an essential constituent of the Green Falg
Steering Group which was established in 2007 to oversee
the Green Flag application process. Glen and Crescent
Gardens were successful in being awarded a Green Flag
for the first time in 2008 and repeated this success in
2009.
The
Green Flag Award is the national quality standard for
parks and green spaces in England and Wales. The
scheme began in 1996 as a means of recognizing and rewarding
the best green spaces in the country. It quickly
became an established and accepted quality benchmark;
something for everyone involved in parks and green spaces
to work to achieve and to maintain.
Awards
are given on an annual basis and winners must apply each
year to renew their Green Flag status. A great deal
of time and effort is required by friends groups, such
as The Friends of Filey parks; local community and business
representatives; parks staff etc. to achieve and maintain
Green Flag status and the scheme encourages improvements
to be made from one year to the next. As no two
parks or green spaces are the same, each must be assessed
on its own merits in terms of the quality of its environment,
what it has to offer and the way it serves and is served
by its local community.
The
number of Green Flag applications is increasing each year
as interest in the schem grows. In 2008, 733 Green
Flags were awarded in England and Wales, 45 of which were
in Yorkshire and Humberside, one of which was Glen and
Crescent Gardens in Filey!
The
award was given again in 2009 and for 2010.
