Beauty spots fly the flag for North Norfolk

Pretty Corner Wood received a Green Flag for 2013/14. Left to right, NNDC rangers Will Fitch and Martin Hope.PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2013)

Three beauty spots in north Norfolk have been rated among the best open spaces in the UK.

Holt Country Park, Sadler's Wood, near North Walsham, and Pretty Corner Woods, near Sheringham, have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag for being welcoming, safe, clean and well-managed.

The award, organised by Keep Britain Tidy, recognises and rewards the best parks and green spaces across the country.

Becky Palmer, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Cultural Services at North Norfolk District Council, which manages the attractions, said: 'This is an incredible result. For Holt Country Park, Sadler's Wood and Pretty Corner Woods to keep winning is testament to the hard work of our countryside rangers and the wealth of beautiful places that surround us in North Norfolk.

'Our award-winning green spaces are a wonderful place for adults and children to experience the natural world. There are also events at all our Green Flag sites, so do take the opportunity to visit and take in these beautiful places.'

The three sites are among a record-breaking 1686 parks and green spaces that have been awarded with a prestigious Green Flag Award for 2016/2017.

It is the twelfth year in a row that Holt Country Park has earned a Green Flag. In 2005, Holt Country Park was the first in Norfolk to win a Green Flag - an award that demands year-on-year improvement for the status to be retained.

Sadler's Wood first achieved a Green Flag in 2012 and Pretty Corner on its very first application the following year.

NNDC countryside rangers are planning a programme of events throughout the summer at the Green Flag sites. For more information follow the link: www.facebook.com/NorthNorfolkDC/events