Test Valley parks retain national award for green space excellence
Valley Park Woodlands in Chandler's Ford and Romsey's War Memorial Park have each retained the Green Flag Award, a national benchmark for well-managed green spaces.
Councillor Phil North, leader of Test Valley Borough Council, said: "Our parks are a source of real pride in Test Valley – not just for the council, but for the communities who use and care about them.
"To have retained these Green Flag Awards yet again is a fantastic achievement and reflects the commitment of our staff and volunteers who work year-round to keep our green spaces thriving."
Test Valley parks retain national Green Flag Award (Image: Test Valley Borough Council)READ MORE: Plans submitted for 33-acre solar farm that would power 1,000 homes
The awards recognise spaces that are welcoming, safe, and well-maintained.
Councillor Alison Johnston, portfolio holder for climate emergency and countryside, said: "Retaining the Green Flag Award year after year is a real testament to the teams and volunteers who work so hard to keep them at their best."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
9 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Kimmie Gordon makes the woods inviting for everyone
Kimmie Gordon is working to make green spaces in Indiana welcoming for everyone. Brown Faces, Green Spaces — the organization Gordon runs — promotes diversity outdoors by leading camping, birding, fishing, archery, hiking and other activities for people of color in Northwest Indiana. She has loved nature and the outdoors since she was at least 6 years old. That's when she began attending Girl Scout camp in Valparaiso with her sister. But they were the only Black girls in camp, which initially led Gordon to believe her culture doesn't love nature. Now she spends her time turning that belief upside down. Gordon wants to share her experiences in nature with others. She found herself centered and at peace when she would visit neighborhood parks as a teenager. Those feelings led her to pursue a graduate program, become involved with her community and move back to Gary where she started Brown Faces, Green Spaces. Current rhetoric around DEI initiatives across the county and in National Parks has made her future uncertain, but Gordon said she and her organization will continue doing what they've been doing year after year: catering to people and helping create experiences in safe and welcoming spaces 'for us, by us and with us.' We spoke with Gordon in August about her job and the environment. Her answers are edited for brevity and clarity. SUGGEST A SUBJECT: Know someone doing good things for Indiana's environment and want to see them featured here? Email Karl and Sophie at: and to let us know. The privilege of being able to provide our local youth and senior populations the opportunity to experience the natural world, the outdoors, something they may not otherwise have ever done or had access to. And one of my favorite parts of that is seeing people experience outdoor joy like the reaction on a child's face when they catch a fish for the very first time, or a senior participant that gets in a canoe for the first time in their life and loves it. How their faces light up with such jubilation and excitement. overcoming their personal fears related to the outdoors — then they try it, love it, and come back again and again. Those are the things that make me proud — the people. Living with environmental inequities and feeling powerless to change it has been a common source of stress for me lately. Though things are slowly pivoting back to inequitable access, I'm determined to keep working to address the systemic issues creating barriers for people of color to be able to access and enjoy nature. The rollback of DEI in our national parks and green spaces where programming such as ours is now prohibited by federal mandates. Even sadder is the accommodation that some organizations are giving the federal government to help do away with diversity in our national green spaces. They do so without any consideration of how it affects diverse audiences. The rollbacks of years of progress towards environmental justice protections that we've fought so hard to institute were gone in just a matter of weeks in 2025. The many decades that the people have fought for environmental justice and outdoor equity dissolved with just a signature. Environmental justice and racism — diversity, equity, and inclusion — none of that will ever go away, and it's more important now than ever for communities to continue to mobilize around these issues. In a society infused with digital devices and constant distractions, oftentimes people forget that stillness exists somewhere. When we put down the phones and turn off all the noise, there is nature. I mean, what would happen if there was absolutely no digital access on any device at all? We would have to depend on sustaining ourselves through nature, and it's all around us. We don't have to wear fancy outdoor gear or go out on a trail or riverbank to experience nature, even something as simple as sitting under a tree in your yard can be a respite for the mind. Finding small ways to explore nature can be just as beneficial as a walk in the Grand Canyon. And everyone should benefit from that. So, I hope to continue to lead by example in these spaces. When people see others that look like them doing things that they may have a fear of or barrier to, it can intrigue them enough to also want to try it. And that's all I want people to do, is just try an outdoor experience that they've never done before, that they may be uncomfortable to think about but worth finding out about. Because I have yet to see any of our first-time participants regret trying, in fact, most of them return time and time again having developed a genuine love for the outdoors and all that nature has to offer. I am fascinated by beavers and their ability to engineer their own ecosystems with the power of their teeth and tails. And did you know they have transparent eyelids that allow them to see clearly under water like a pair of goggles? IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Pope celebrates Mass for local homeless people and invites them to lunch
Pope Leo XIV spent the last Sunday of his summer holiday with several dozen homeless and poor people – and the church volunteers who help them, celebrating a special Mass and inviting them into the Vatican's lakeside estate for a lunch of lasagne and roast veal. Leo celebrated Mass in the St Mary sanctuary of Albano, near the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo where he is on holiday. The Mass was attended by around 110 people cared for by the local Caritas church charity, and the volunteers who run the diocese's shelters, clinics and social service offices. In his homily, Leo celebrated the 'fire of charity' that had brought them together. 'And I encourage you not to distinguish between those who assist and those who are assisted, between those who seem to give and those who seem to receive, between those who appear poor and those who feel they have something to offer in terms of time, skills, and help,' he said. In the church, he said, everyone is poor and precious, and all share the same dignity. Leo, the former Robert Prevost, spent most of his adult life working with the poor people of Peru, first as an Augustinian missionary and then as bishop. Former parishioners and church workers say he greatly reinforced the work of the local Caritas charity, opening soup kitchens and shelters for migrants and rallying funds to build oxygen plants during the Covid-19 pandemic. Later on Sunday, Leo was to preside over a luncheon with the guests at the Borgo Laudato Si', the Vatican's environmental educational centre in the gardens of the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo. The centre is named for Pope Francis' 2015 landmark environmental encyclical, Laudato Si (Praised Be). According to the Albano diocese, local caterers were providing a menu of lasagne, eggplant parmesan and roast veal. For dessert, the menu called for fruit salad and sweets named for the pope, 'Dolce Leone'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
'Overwhelming' donations help save flower bench
A volunteer group has been "overwhelmed" by donations to help save its flower bench after it was damaged by a falling tree branch. The "well-used" bench next to a bus stop in Washington Village, near Sunderland, was "obliterated" last week when a heavy section of a storm-damaged tree crashed on to it. It had been built five years ago and is maintained by the Washington Village in Bloom group. Volunteer Anne James, 58, set up a fundraiser which more than doubled its £300 repair target in three days. She said: "It's very gratifying that we have got that many people willing to support us, and appreciate what we do because we're out in all weathers and all year round." Mrs James, who said she is not particularly tech-savvy, said: "I was a little bit overwhelmed because I've never done anything fundraising before." She created the appeal because, after she posted a picture of the damage, people on social media were asking how they could help. The fundraiser "snowballed" and reached £650 before she closed it. The bench, which also featured a bug house hotel, was constructed by Alan Kerry from the group. It is thought the tree that fell on it had been weakened by previous storms. "It pretty much obliterated the seat," Mrs James said. "The council came out the next morning and cleared the tree but obviously what was left of the seat was sticks really." Mr Kerry had since been able to repair the seat, re-using the damaged wood. It cost about £100 in paint, bolts and filler, so the rest of the money will be used on more flowers for the village plus tools and uniforms, Mrs James said. The group won the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom best village gold award in October. Mrs James said people had been "so generous" to donate. "It's a very leafy village so there's always leaves to pick up and bulbs to plant. "It's nice to know that people do actually appreciate what we're doing." Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. More on this story Floral success 'helped my cancer recovery' 'Hours picking soggy leaves' leads village to gold Related internet links Washington Village in Bloom
