10 July 2015
From September 2015, the hosting and management of the Country Parks Network will pass from Natural England to Keep Britain Tidy.
From September 2015, the hosting and management of the Country Parks Network will pass from Natural England to Keep Britain Tidy.
The move follows a competitive process led by the Country Parks Network steering group and Natural England.
Our aims and current work - including the Green Flag Awards for parks and green spaces and the Love Parks programme - make us the ideal organisation to take over the Network's management.
One of our three aims is to improve local places by increasing the amount of well-managed, accessible public space and engaging more communities in their management.
The Country Parks Network exists primarily to allow people who manage, or are interested in, either country parks or other green spaces that deliver similar functions to country parks, to connect with each other.
We will be the first point of contact for the Country Parks Network and lead the management of its membership, web pages, news updates and good practice sharing. It will also host and support the Network Steering Group, with Natural England retaining a seat on the group.
Liz Newton from Natural England said: 'It is great news that the Country Parks Network will continue to support managers of Country Parks as it has for many years. This agreement is good news for everyone and will strengthen the sharing of knowledge and good practice amongst managers of these important green spaces. We hope the Network continues to grow and flourish.'
Keep Britain Tidy's Green Flag Awards manager Paul Todd said: 'We are delighted to be managing the Country Parks Network. Our wealth of experience in supporting others to improve their local places makes this new relationship an ideal fit.
'Our experience includes our Green Flag Award, Blue Flag Award, Seaside Award, Love Parks programme and the Keep Britain Tidy Network, which supports local authorities and land managers across England. We welcome the Country Parks Network to the Keep Britain Tidy family.'
Kevin Burke on behalf of the Country Parks Network Steering Group said: "We are delighted that, following a long and exhaustive process, the future of the Country Parks Network has been secured.
'We were particularly reassured by Keep Britain Tidy's enthusiasm to work with us and we now foresee vast potential as we become part of their extended family. We hope that anyone involved with Country Parks will sign up to the Network and join us to benefit from our collective knowledge and experience so that our Country Parks will continue to thrive in the years ahead.'
The move will begin during August 2015. Existing members will be contacted by Natural England over the coming weeks with further information.
