15.11.23

Forest Farm Nature Reserve is home to kingfishers, herons, dragonflies, damselflies, bluebells, wild garlic, ancient woodland and now, the winners of the 2023 Green Flag parks UK ‘Team of the Year.' 

Based out of an old farmhouse at the edge of the Forest Farm reserve, Cardiff's Community Park Ranger are the latest winner of this ‘Best of the Best' award celebrating the teams which have made a real difference to the 2,216 parks and green spaces in the UK that have a Green Flag Award - the international quality standard which recognises and rewards well-managed green spaces.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: "Our Community Ranger team have a wealth of environmental conservation experience and alongside some fantastic volunteers, they play a significant role in managing the wealth of different habitats we look after. Their knowledge and passion for nature is second-to-none and I'm delighted that they've been recognised with this award."

The Community Park Ranger team manage a variety of habitats at Forest Farm including wildflower meadows, woodland, hedgerow, wetlands, an orchard, and a new tree nursery area, established as part of Cardiff Council's mass-tree planting programme, Coed Caerdydd.

They also run a series of events and volunteering opportunities throughout the year aimed at increasing public engagement with nature.

Senior Community Park Ranger, Liz Birkinshaw, said: "A lot of the team have worked in the role for twenty plus years, which I think shows their passion and dedication for the work they do, but they're still finding new ways to support nature and pass on their knowledge to new generations.

"For example, they've recently introduced new living roofs to the site's bird-watching hides, purchased electric vehicles to help reduce their carbon emissions, and fitted wildlife and nest box cameras so that footage can be shared on social media. They also work with the Council's Energy team to run the Radyr Weir Hydro scheme which harnesses the power of the River Taff to produce green energy, and recently introduced new women-only engagement sessions to a disability support group to help address an imbalance in the number of female participants, compared to male participants."

Lucy Prisk, Green Flag Coordinator for Keep Wales Tidy, said: "Our parks and green spaces are essential to people's wellbeing, and we know these free to access places will continue to be vital to communities.

"The Community Park Ranger team receivingthis award is testament to the hard work of all staff and volunteers involved at Forest Farm, and we're thrilled to be able to celebrate this additional recognition which accompanies their Green Flag award. We want to congratulate the team on their fantastic achievement."

For more details about the awards and the winners, visit: https://keepwalestidy.cymru/our-work/awards/green-flag-parks/