Mel Stride MP has cast his vote for Simmons Park in the Fields in Trust UK Best Park 2019 competition. The independent charity looks after nearly 3,000 parks and green spaces totalling 12,000 hectares of land across the UK. Voting will run until noon on Monday 19th August with the top park in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland shortlisted before an overall winner is announced in mid-September.
Mel said:
“We often take our local parks for granted, but they are a hugely important part of the communities they serve, providing opportunities for fresh air and exercise, for socialising with friends and hosting local events. It is important we look after them for future generations through communities being proud of their parks and collectively taking care of them. Simmons Park in Okehampton is a wonderful example of a community green space and I was pleased to cast my vote for it in this competition.”
The MP also pointed to the importance of the park to local businesses because of its attraction to visitors, adding:
“In our internet age one of the first things people do when planning a holiday is to dive online and see what there is to do locally, especially to make sure there are enough activities to entertain children. When you scroll through TripAdvisor for instance and see glowing review after glowing review of the park it really does draw families into the town and that is important for local traders.”
Anyone can vote in the competition at www.fieldsintrust.org/best-park.
