UK'S BEST PARK: South East's Best Parks as voted by you named
This summer's UK's Best Park award has seen all-time high numbers of nominations and a record votes tally, with 36,832 park users casting votes to help decide the winner of the UK's Best Park 2019.
In the South East, you nominated 33 local parks and green spaces which are special to you. These nominations were then championed by park users, communities, Friends of groups, landowners and elected representatives as part of the public vote.
Following close of voting, we are delighted to be able to reveal the overall winner for the South East region, as well as the parks which your votes mean have received "Much Loved" status. Each will receive a certificate recognising your support, whilst the regional winner now joins Lake Meadows in the East of England and Danson Park in London on the shortlist for the title of England's Best Park, which will be revealed on Wednesday 28th August. Between now and then the winners and "Much Loved" spaces in the other English regions will be announced day-by-day. Make sure you're following @FieldsInTrust on social media to keep right up to date with the winners!
South East region winner
Alexandra Park
St Helen's Way, Hastings, East Sussex
Described by its nominator as: "This great historic park has all you want for a day in the park, meandering stream, mini railway, lawns, woodlands, playground, bandstand and a café. Great lawns and borders and sorts of facilities."
"Much Loved" spaces
Alexandra Park was one of seven spaces in the South East which placed within the top 20% of all nominations nationally in voting for UK's Best Park 2019. Each of these spaces receives "Much Loved" status, recognising the support they have received this summer from those who use and love them. The other six "Much Loved" spaces in the South East are:
Calverley Grounds
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Hall Place and Gardens
Bexley, Kent
Hampden Park
Eastbourne, East Sussex
Riverside Park
Southampton, Hampshire
Tilgate Park
Crawley, West Sussex
Ventnor Park
Ventnor, Isle of Wight
Celebrating one long Summer of Parks
This Summer of Parks you've been showing love for your local parks in unprecedented numbers. From a record-breaking Have a Field Day to the biggest UK's Best Park award yet, it is clear how much we all love our local parks. Each "Much Loved" park will receive a certificate denoting its status - we will be in touch with the landowner to arrange delivery of this certificate and discuss celebrations for the newly conferred status. The park's nominator for UK's Best Park 2019 will also receive acknowledgement that their favourite local green space is amongst the nation's favourites.
Our Summer of Parks will conclude on Thursday 12th September with the announcement of the UK's Best Park 2019. This day is also an opportunity to champion those parks to receive "Much Loved" status with their new certificates, as well as celebrate all parks and green spaces across the country which are special in their own ways to those who use and love them.
Green spaces are good and they do good. Your support will help us to protect green spaces for good.
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Green Space Index in the South East
The Green Space Index is Fields in Trust's barometer of publicly accessible park and green space provision. Our Revaluing Parks and Green Spaces research demonstrates that these spaces across the UK provide people with over £34 billion of health and wellbeing benefits. We believe that green spaces are good, do good and need to be protected for good.
In the South East, the Green Space Index finds:
of total green space provision in South East
of green space provision per person in South East
not living within a ten-minute walk of a green space
of legally protected green space provision in South East
You can discover more about the Green Space Index and explore provision near you on our interactive map for the region.
About Fields in Trust
Fields in Trust is an independent charity with over 90 years’ experience protecting parks and green spaces. We work with landowners, community groups and policy makers to champion the value of our parks and green spaces to achieve better protection for their future at both local and national level.
You can donate to support our work to protect, support and champion green spaces for good.
Summer of Parks: Join the discussion as we champion our parks and green spaces
Green Space Index: Our new barometer of publicly accessible green space provision
UK's Best Park: Celebrate your favourite local green space - discover the results
- Image of Alexandra Park with thanks to Oast House Archive (cc-by-sa/2.0)
- Image of Tilgate Park with thanks to Barry Shimmon (cc-by-sa/2.0)
- Image of Ventnor Park with thanks to John M (cc-by-sa/2.0)