Wirral successfully
hosted the World Urban Parks European Congress 2017, which saw delegates from
across the world come together to share good practice and ideas covering the
themes of heritage, sustainability and community in our parks and open spaces.
Wirral Council
leader Cllr Phil Davies opened the conference and was a regular visitor to
seminars and workshops throughout the week. He said that he believes delegates
will take away from their week a very good impression of the borough and the
wider region.
Cllr Davies said: “A
number of delegates told me how incredibly lucky we are to have such an amazing
mix of parks, coast and countryside within such a small area. They were also
impressed by the partnership that exists between our local communities and parks
professionals.
“I’m sure they took
away from their time in Wirral a sense of an area which has great pride in its
environment and in its people.”
The congress
concluded with an awards ceremony at the Floral Pavilion Theatre in New
Brighton.
And Wirral was once
again a winner with the gathered crowds. Birkenhead Park was awarded the first
Gold Standard Large Parks Awards from the World Urban Parks organisation.
Dr Mary Worrall,
Senior Manager in Wirral Council’s Parks, Coast and Countryside team, was also
bestowed with the honour of becoming a Certified Park Professional
International (CPPI), the highest award given by the World Parks Academy.
Mary said: “It is a
great honour to be awarded the CPPI certificate. Learning about good practice
from around the world has been very inspiring and I am sure this learning will
be beneficial in my work helping to care for parks here in the UK.”
Finally, congress
signed a statement in support of Birkenhead Park being put forward for
inclusion on the tentative list for World Heritage Status.
Cllr Davies added:
“It was clear all week that Birkenhead Park is one of the most significant and
inspirational parks anywhere in the world and the statement of support for a
possible World Heritage Status bid was an amazing way to end a fantastic week promoting
Wirral to parks professionals from around the world.”
