Pump Room Gardens in Leamington receives its first Green Flag Award

The Pump Room Gardens in Leamington has received its first Green Flag Award.

The town centre park joins three other parks and woodland areas in Warwick District in receiving the prestigious international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

Crackley Wood, Oakley Wood, Jephson Gardens and Mill Gardens have continued their success in also earning the Green Flag Award, with the latter two receiving the award for the 16th consecutive year.

In addition to the Green Flag Awards, both Jephson Gardens and the Pump Room Gardens also received the Green Heritage Site Accreditation for good conservation standards and the maintenance and upkeep of prominent historic features. Only seven parks in the West Midlands received this accreditation, with Warwick District Council receiving two of them.

The Pump Room Gardens,considered as Leamington’s ‘village green’, underwent significant refurbishment in 2018 with a £1.4 million project to restore its bandstand and other key features of the park from the 19th century, thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund Parks for People programme, the Friends of the Pump Room Gardens and Warwick District Council.

Councillor Moira-Ann Grainger, district council cabinet member for Neighbourhood & Leisure, said: “The past couple of years has made us all realise how much we value our parks and open spaces. They connect us, give us space to exercise, relax and provide special habitats for local wildlife to thrive.

“To receive these Green Flag Awards from Keep Britain Tidy once again is a truly outstanding achievement and shows that local people and visitors to Warwick District are benefitting from green spaces of the very highest quality.

" To receive it for the Pump Room Gardens demonstrates the success of the restoration project, which has enabled us to honour its history and preserve it for future generations to enjoy.

“I would like to give a special mention and thanks to the Council’s Green Spaces Team, our contractors idVerde, the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and the many Friends and volunteer groups who come out in all weathers to assist us in maintaining and improving our wonderful parks and open spaces.”

Archie Pitts from the Friends of the Pump Room Gardens added: ”It’s wonderful to see the Pump Room Gardens refurbished and improved with new flower beds and trees as well as a rainwater pond to help drainage of the gardens. The beautifully restored bandstand will be the focal point of Leamington’s Village Green for many more generations to come.

“All in all a wonderful result for Leamington thanks to all who worked to bring this about.”

Community groups in the district are also celebrating Green Flag Awards, with Myton Pools in Warwick and Foundry Wood in Leamington scooping up awards, demonstrating the importance of the community in creating and maintaining spaces for all to enjoy.

The Canal and River Trust has also successfully earned the Green Flag Award for over 565 miles of canals, including the stretch of canal between the Myton Road in Warwick to Althorpe Street in Leamington.