Something many of us discovered during our lockdown days was the luscious green spaces that Manchester is blessed with. Beyond Piccadilly Gardens, Greater Manchester boasts a number of parks helping us to get back to nature, so good that some have been nominated for the coveted award of the ‘UK’s Favourite Park 2022’.
Organised by Fields in Trust, who champion and support our parks and green spaces by protecting them for people to enjoy, 364 parks across the country have been nominated for the award. Of those hundreds of parks, ten have been selected from the Greater Manchester region as a top green space.
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The list of Manchester nominations includes:
- Alexandra Park, Oldham
- Bramhall Park, Stockport
- Bruntwood Park, Cheadle
- Burrs Country Park, Bury
- Cringle Park, Levenshulme
- Debdale Park, Gorton
- Didsbury Park, Didsbury
- Fletcher Moss Park, Didsbury
- Foxdenton Park, Middleton
- Happy Valley Nature Reserve, Bramhall
Fields in Trust said: “Local parks have been sanctuaries for us all over recent years. In our study, nearly half of respondents said they have visited local parks more often than they used to as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Separate research has shown that access to nature was one of the main ways people supported their mental health during lockdowns.”
Burrs Country Park was described by nominees as “a haven for wildlife with the river Irwell running through it” whilst Cringle Park has “been a godsend during Covid for the whole community.” As for Fletcher Moss Park, it was due to “the wildlife, the orchids, the secret marshy woodlands, the tea house, the picnics, and the parkrun”, which made visitors put the park’s name forward for the award.
Voting for UK’s Favourite Parks 2022 is now open and will close at noon on Thursday 18th August. To cast your vote for your favourite park simply visit the nominations page, search for nominated parks in your area and choose your favourite.
At close of voting the shortlist will be announced, made up of the parks to receive the most votes in each of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These parks will be named National Favourites, before the overall winner and UK’s Favourite Park 2022 is revealed over the August Bank Holiday weekend.