On May 15th two judges visited Haw Park wood to assess the site for Green Flag status and talk to the foresters about plans for the future as well as work in progress.
They were obviously impressed - on July 18th we were notified of the achievement. The Chair of the Friends, Phyllis Baines, was invited to the Award Ceremony at the Royal Armouries on July 26th and had the honour of accepting the Green Flag.
She was accompanied by members of WMDC Services who had put the real work into improving the woodland and preparing the management plan - June Rothwell, Jerry Spencer, Jill Lofthouse and Andy Nicholls.
To qualify for Green Flag status the Countryside Service needed to demonstrate that the area is welcoming and safe - for both wildlife and the visiting public. They also had to prepare a 5-year Management Plan showing how the area would be improved.
Equally important is the involvement of local community groups so having a 'Friends' group was a definite point in their favour.
This lovely area of woodland is found at Wintersett, between Crofton, Walton and Ryhill. There is a car park at the Countryside Centre then a very pleasant walk of about half a mile to the wood.
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