We’re delighted to have achieved Green Flag status for another year.   Potters Fields Park has consistently been awarded Green Flags for many years, and has been joined, for the second successive year, by St. John’s Churchyard.

We completed a major upgrade of St. John’s Churchyard in June 2020,  including a new children’s play area, outdoor table tennis and boules facilities, and wildlife and wetlands beds.  Last year, with the new planting well-established, we entered St. John’s Churchyard for the Green Flag Award, and were delighted to see it described as  “a very well managed and maintained site, with good standards of maintenance and attention to detail in terms of what needs doing, why and how”.   This year, we’ve refreshed some of the beds, with a new wildflower meadow and some shade-tolerant planting in the boskier corners of the park.

Our double success  again this year is a great tribute to the hard work of the team from Gavin Jones, our long-standing landscape and gardening contractors.  Their year-round dedication to keeping our two parks clean, safe and well-maintained is appreciated by everyone who enjoys the parks for recreation, rest and relaxation.

Sustainability has always been integral to the management of Potters Fields Park, including use of green waste mulch, reducing water use and minimising the use of pesticides.   However,  the beds were originally planted over 15 years ago,  and some plants have reached the end of their natural lives, while some species have thrived at the expense of others.    We’re now embarking on an exciting 2-3 year sustainable replanting project, designed to cope better with climate change and improve biodiversity.   Many plants will be retained or redistributed, while others will be replaced by a colourful variety of drought-tolerant species which will  need less watering and attract a wider range of pollinators and other wildlife.

We’ll be revealing more details soon, so watch this space.

See more about the Green Flag Awards here