14th October 2020
PRESS RELEASE
Today, parks and green spaces across the country will be raising their Green Flag Award with pride in a year when millions of people have seen the value of having great quality green spaces on their doorstep. Nowhere has this been more obvious than along the country’s canal towpaths.
Hollingwood Hub on the Chesterfield Canal in Staveley has been awarded a Green Flag for the third time. The Hub is the headquarters of the Chesterfield Canal Trust. There are gardens where customers of Katey’s Coffee Shop can enjoy the tranquility around Hollingwood Lock. In normal times, volunteers from the Trust operate a tripboat from the lock. They also run a shop and information centre.
Jim Bower, who leads the volunteer gardeners, said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition. Lots of us work year-round to make Hollingwood Hub an oasis of peace. Awards are very welcome, but our real satisfaction comes from the many members of the public who tell us how much they love coming here.”
The Chesterfield Canal Trust is a charity which is campaigning to complete the restoration of the canal by 2027, the 250th anniversary of its opening.
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “This year, more than ever, our parks and green spaces have been a lifeline and we know that millions of people have used them to relax, meet friends, exercise or simply escape for a short time.”
The Canal & River Trust is also celebrating the fact that the full 32 miles of the canal from Kiveton, through Worksop and Retford to the River Trent has been awarded Green Flag status for the third time.
