Council rangers who look after Wirral Country Park in Thurstaston and Hilbre Island have won a top award.
They were named ‘Team of the Year’ in the annual ‘Best of the Best’ awards organised by the national environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy.
The awards celebrate the volunteers, park staff and groups behind the success of parks that also scooped a Green Flag award earlier in the year.
The Rangers are responsible for managing very different habitats at Wirral Country Park, Heswall Dales and Hilbre Island – areas that include protected grasslands and cliffs, freshwater ponds and ancient woodland, sandy beaches and rocky foreshore and one of the most important heathlands in the north west.
In their summary announcing the success, the Green Flag judges concluded that ‘working together as a team, the uniformed Rangers – exemplary in their face to face contact with Wirral residents and visitors to the borough – are often the first point of contact and need to be able to respond to everything that can occur’.
‘This could be dealing with enquiries, complaints, administering first aid and calling for Emergency Services, undertaking unscheduled management from the clearance of fallen trees to filling potholes and erecting signs and fences. All that takes place alongside the daily routine patrols, toilet cleaning, delivering school and other group visits, working with and supervising friends and other volunteer groups, writing and implementing site management and action plans, ensuring compliance with site safety audits and risk assessments.
‘As frontline staff, the Rangers can sometimes be subject to abuse and threatening and challenging behaviour and other anti-social activities. Being able to deal with these incidents is only possible with the support of colleagues and by working together as a team.’
Cllr Liz Grey, Chair of the environment, climate emergency and transport committee, said: “We are so lucky in Wirral to have such expertise and dedication within our Parks and Countryside teams.
“They go above and beyond to protect, preserve and keep our most beautiful and environmentally-significant places open and accessible for residents and visitors.
“I congratulate the team at Wirral Country Park for this special national recognition, I know it is very well deserved.”
Nominations were received from across the UK, and the Wirral Country Park-based Rangers were subsequently selected by the jury for their exceptional contribution.
Paul Todd MBE, Green Flag Award manager, said: “Our Best of the Best winners represent some of the UK’s hardest working individuals and groups working within our highest quality parks.
“We believe everyone, wherever they live, should be able to access and enjoy safe, high-quality green space, so achieving this recognition from the public is testament to the Wirral Country Park-based Rangers tireless work.
“We want to say a huge congratulations to them.”
