Tag: country park

Country Park Receives 18th Consecutive Green Flag Award!

Graham Wright

Rushcliffe Country Park has just received yet another Green Flag Award – its 18th one in a row. The accolade acknowledges Ruddington’s popular green space as still being one of the best parks in the country. It’s been named among 2,227 other places in the UK that have received the award for 2024/25, which sets the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the UK and around the world. Set in the countryside just south of our village, Ruddington’s country park consists of a diverse range of…

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FREE Ruddington Summer Cycling and Walking Event

Graham Wright

Villagers of all ages are invited to take part in a free walking and cycling event at Rushcliffe Country Park on Wednesday 14th August. Organisers Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) say this Ruddington event for 2024 will feature a range of fun and insightful activities from 10am to 2pm and include a wellbeing walk led by ‘Rushcliffe Move and Mingle’ at 10.30am. Between 11am and 1pm there is also an opportunity for you to grab your map and get involved in orienteering with Nottinghamshire Orienteering Club. The event will offer residents the…

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Smoke-Free Play Park Pledge

Graham Wright

To mark ‘No Smoking Day’ today (Wednesday March 13th), the authority which runs Ruddington’s Country Park says it wants to raise awareness that all of its play parks are smoke-free. Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) says this is to further protect the health of children and residents from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Signage is in place at Rushcliffe Country Park so that visitors are even more aware of the need to not smoke in places where children play. It’s part of the RBC’s stated ‘tobacco control action plan’ of health initiatives to…

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‘Shade Sails’ in the Park

Graham Wright

Regular visitors to Rushcliffe Country Park here in Ruddington may already have noticed two rather ‘striking’ new additions between the children’s play area and outdoor gym/new skatepark. Officially called ‘Shade Sails’ (pictured top), they have been erected among the picnic benches to provide welcome shelter from the sun during the summer months, and protection from rain during the wet, winter months. They were funded by a visitor who made a generous donation in her will to a favourite park she had visited many times over the years. It’s possible the new structures rather…

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Painting Pictures in Our Park

Graham Wright

The Visitor Centre at Rushcliffe Country Park was the venue for another recent gathering on Rushcliffe Social Prescribing team’s ‘Friendship Calendar’ – aimed at engaging with local people to tackle social isolation. Rushcliffe Borough Council‘s ‘Reach Rushcliffe’ initiative funded this free session in Ruddington last month, which was attended by over a dozen people. They learnt tips on how to paint using watercolours whilst meeting like-minded people and, hopefully, making some lasting friendships. The one-off taster was hosted by village resident Debra Webster of Ruddington Art & Craft Society. as…

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Green Memory Café to Continue

Graham Wright

After successfully trialling the idea a couple of months’ ago, organisers of a new initiative in Ruddington for people living with memory loss (and their carers) is set to be held here every two months. The ‘Rushcliffe Green Memory Café’ will continue to take place in and around the newly refurbished Visitor Centre by the lake in Rushcliffe Country Park – with the next one happening this Wednesday 16th August. Once again you’re invited along to experience nature-based activities, short walks or simply to relax, socialise and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Indoor and…

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Green Flags Galore for Ruddington!

Graham Wright

It’s been revealed that TWO local green spaces popular with village visitors and Ruddington walkers are in receipt of prestigious Green Flag Awards this year. Firstly, Rushcliffe Country Park has received its 17th consecutive Green Flag Award, once again acknowledging it as one of the country’s best parks. Ruddington’s popular green space is among 2,216 places in the UK receiving the 2023/24 award. Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Transformation, Leisure and Wellbeing, Cllr Jonathan Wheeler, joined the Friends of Rushcliffe Country Park volunteer group and Council representatives (pictured top) in…

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Rushcliffe Green Memory Café Launches

Graham Wright

This month sees the start of a brand new initiative in Ruddington for people living with memory loss and their carers. The ‘Green Memory Café’ is being launched at Rushcliffe Country Park on the afternoon of Wednesday 21st June in the newly refurbished Visitor Centre by the lake. You’re invited along to experience nature based activities, short walks or simply to relax, socialise and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Indoor and outdoor activities and refreshments are FREE, and it’s suitable for people with limited mobility. Gwynneth Owen, project lead for the Rushcliffe Dementia Project…

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New Ruddington Café Shelter Opens

Graham Wright

Visitors to Rushcliffe Country Park can now enjoy an extra place to take refuge from the rain – or the sun! – thanks to a brand new natural wood shelter constructed near the Visitor Centre. It also aims to provide a sociable space with additional all-weather seating where park-goers can enjoy refreshments from the adjacent ‘Coffee and Cake by the Lake’ café, which opened in October last year. The structure will also be used as an outdoor education centre to teach children the important part wildlife has to play in…

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To Mow or Not to Mow?

Graham Wright

Many lawns, verges and public spaces in Ruddington are a little ‘wilder’ at the moment – as ‘No Mow May’ comes to an end. Promoted each year by the charity ‘Plantlife’, the initiative encourages individuals and organisations to leave mowers in sheds during the month of May so that wildflowers among the grass can grow wild to provide a feast for pollinators, tackle pollution, and lock away atmospheric carbon below ground. The question is, should more of us leave more ground untended throughout the year, not just for these 31 days?…

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