Wigginton Park hoping to take gold in regional In Bloom competition

One of Tamworth’s best-loved parks is hoping to claim gold, in a Heart of England in Bloom category.

Wigginton Park is competing for the fourth year in the parks & open spaces category of the Heart of England in Bloom campaign, after receiving a gold award for the past two years.

This year, the campaign will take place on an earlier date of Tuesday, July 16, after the Tamworth in Bloom judging for the ‘Small City’ category, where the judges take a tour of the town and Castle Grounds.

The award is open to parks and open spaces of all kinds and it is judged on three aspects - community engagement, maintenance & development and environment.

Wigginton Park entered the awards as a large park of more than 20 hectares. Its entry has been led by the Friends of Wigginton Park, with the support of Tamworth Borough Council.

Last year it was a beautiful summer’s day in August when the judges took a tour of the Georgian parkland surrounded by Giant Sequoia, Cedar and other well-established specimen trees.

The judges enjoyed a walk through the park taking in the stunning views along with new planting areas and pond dipping platforms; the grassland meadow and the improved tree plantation. The 20-hectares of beautiful parkland is a perfect space for dog-walkers and the playground area is very popular with families.  

Chair of the Friends of Wigginton Park, Richard Kingstone, said: “It’s a great honour to be able to enter the Heart of England in Bloom parks category again.  Anyone who has visited Wigginton Park will know just how amazing it is. The park is unique, not just in Tamworth, but in the country.

“Where else can you walk though well-maintained parkland; enjoy a healthy game of rugby and then visit a spectacular wildlife meadow? We really do have a special place right here in the heart of Tamworth.”

He added: “The Friends of Wigginton Park was founded by students from The Rawlett School along with local residents and members of Tamworth Rugby Club coming together to attempt to make our park even better.

“Over the years we have developed a management plan with the support of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Tamworth Borough Council. We meet on the second Sunday of every month and carry out a variety of activities, including maintenance of the wetlands area; planting bulbs and wild flowers and the community orchard.”   

Cllr John Chesworth, Cabinet member for Culture and Operational Services, said: “The huge amount of hard work and dedication from the volunteers who make up the Friends of Wigginton Park shows their commitment to high standards of environmental works and community involvement. The park is an amazing place for walkers and families. The addition of a well-equipped children’s play area in recent years has been a great success.

“The new addition to the park last autumn of the ‘Tree Trail’ has been very popular with families as a fun way to explore the park. The idea is that visitors are able to find the trees on the trail and discover their individual enchanted stories and ‘characters’, as well as finding out about local history and different species of trees. More details and how to download a tree trail leaflet can be found here: www.tamworth.gov.uk/treetrail.

“I am very hopeful that the park will be acknowledged with gold for the third year running.”