By Cllr Jason Brock
Green spaces and parks are important, and that’s particularly the case in a dense urban area like Reading where they remain highly valued by our residents, even during this rotten summer weather.
I was thrilled to hear that Caversham Court Gardens has once again been awarded the coveted Green Flag recently – an accolade only given to the best parks and open spaces in the country.
Caversham Court Gardens was recognised for high-quality maintenance and excellent wildlife and climate-friendly practices, and it also received a Green Heritage Site award for parks that have conserved their historical features to a high standard and maintained their historic character and appearance. It is one of only 17 spaces in the South East to achieve the accolade in 2023.
While Caversham Court Gardens is our official flag-bearer, our dedicated Parks team have been working hard on maintaining and enhancing all our beautiful parks and open spaces, of which there are over 50.
This week is Love Parks Week. We know just how important all our parks and recreational areas are for residents’ wellbeing and for our environment. That is why every year we continue to invest millions in them, creating new play areas, protecting nature reserves, and conserving and enhancing our famous heritage sites.
Most of us will, of course, have visited the splendid Forbury Gardens and Abbey Ruins, one of the jewels of our town’s heritage crown right in the centre of Reading. But there are so many other beautiful locations across the borough which you may not have been to, and Love Parks Week is the perfect time to adventure out and explore them. From hidden gems, such as the woodlands at Lousehill and Blundell’s Copse in west Reading and Clayfield Copse in the north of the Borough, to more well-known sites, like Waterloo Meadows towards the south and Reading Old Cemetery in the east, we have magnificent wildlife havens worth a trip if you have never been there before.
If you haven’t been down to Prospect Park lately, it boasts some really exciting improvements after our £530,000 investment in new play equipment.
The new playground is a hive of activity and fun, with a range of facilities to cater for children of all ages and abilities and offering a variety of challenge levels. It has been carefully designed to allow children to be challenged physically as well as letting their creativity flourish.
Our new Ranger Station also allows families to enjoy mini golf, the Sky Tykes low ropes activity, and a climbing wall too.
You can play your part too in keeping our precious outdoor spaces clean and tidy for everyone to keep enjoying. At the very least, please bin your rubbish or, if the bins are full and awaiting emptying, please take it home with you.
And for those of you wanting to get involved further, our popular Reading Adopt Your Street (RAYS) programme enables individuals, community groups, companies, and other organisations to promote a street, open space, footpath, park, or shopping area to help keep tidy through regular clean-ups. You can find out more about that here: www.reading.gov.uk/about-reading/improving-your-community/reading-adopt-your-street-rays/.
The benefits of being outside in the natural environment are more vital than ever and I hope everyone will get out and about this summer exploring all of Reading’s ever-fantastic parks.
Cllr Jason Brock is the leader of Reading Borough Council and ward member for Southcote
