Celebrating Colchester's parks and green spaces in Love Parks Week

Many of us relish spending time in Castle Park or taking a stroll through beautiful country parks like the one at High Woods.

The greenery came into its own during the pandemic, with much-needed fresh air proving a real tonic amid such a troubling backdrop.

So what better time to celebrate the borough’s beauty than Keep Britain Tidy’s annual Love Parks Week, which runs until Sunday?

It’s easy to take these havens of tranquility for granted but an awful lot of hard work goes into maintaining them and ensuring they look spectacular.

For instance, did you know there are 59 bins in Castle Park, generating up to 200 black sacks of rubbish a day - in addition to recycling bins?

Those bins are emptied at least twice a day and between three and five times on a busy day.

There are many other fascinating facts concerning the park’s gardens.

Over 50,000 bulbs are planted each year - mainly tulips but daffodils and hyacinths, too - while the team’s summer planting involves more than 30,000 plants.

In addition to the park’s rangers, all this is made possible thanks to volunteers and organisations including Friends of Castle Park, Colchester in Bloom and Level Best.

Helen Hykel took this picture in Castle Park

Beverley Oxford, Colchester Council’s portfolio holder for communities, said: “Over the last year, parks and green spaces have been a lifeline to many people throughout the pandemic and lockdowns.

“Parks are incredibly important places that give us space to play, relax and enjoy nature and the pandemic really highlighted how essential they are to our sense of wellbeing.

“We pay a lot of care and attention to maintaining our parks and making sure they’re a safe and welcoming environment for everyone to enjoy.

“I want to say a thank you to our parks and countryside team and all the volunteers that support them.”

There are two full-time and one part-time rangers in Castle Park.

Their role includes maintaining bins, benches and memorials, carrying out health and safety checks, patrolling the park, looking after the nature reserve at Bull Meadow and operating the weir at Middle Mill.

To celebrate Love Parks Week, the council is calling on residents and visitors to help celebrate the borough’s beauty spots.

It wants residents to love, respect and protect our parks and open spaces.

It’s not just about people’s enjoyment, mental health and wellbeing.

These natural spaces also provide habitats for many species of animals, birds and insects.

Now heading in to its third year, Colchester’s woodland and biodiversity project has always involved encouraging our community to love and care for the environment, from wildflowers and meadows to woods and parks, old or new.

Dylan Calvert took this picture in Castle Park, Colchester

Simon Crow, the council’s portfolio holder for environment and sustainability, said: “A key part of our project is to create a network of volunteers to help us create and maintain a greener borough and our tree guardians are helping us to do just that.

“Getting out and about to not only enjoy our green spaces, but to help them develop and grow, is great for our mental health and wellbeing.

“In these challenging times, that has never been more important.

“We want businesses, residents, community groups and schools to get involved in every aspect of the project, including joining us across the borough to plant and maintain the trees for a greener future, so we can all love our parks and green spaces.”

To find out more about Colchester’s parks and open spaces, visit colchester.gov.uk/parks

For more information about Love Parks Week visit www.keepbritaintidy.org