A SOMERSET park has been awarded Green Flag status - for the 15th year running.

And Yeovil Country Park can now proudly display the achievement thanks to a new flagpole that has been erected outside the Ninesprings Café.

The pole has taken more than a year of hard work to attain and is possible thanks to fundraising completed by the Friends of Yeovil Country Park, who have fully funded the project.

The park, five minutes' walk from the bustling town centre, offers open access green space to residents and visitors.

It comprises five different areas, all of which have very different characteristics and land features to explore including woodland, meadows and waterways.

There is a surprising array of wildlife living so close to the town, including kingfishers and water voles.

Gary Cashmore, chairman of the Friends of Yeovil Country Park, said: “We are highly delighted that we are now able to display our achievement to all of our visitors.

"In previous years we have had nowhere to properly display the Green flags awarded to us.

"This has all changed now with our new flagpole and it is fantastic news for the park although the process to get to this point has taken over a year and made possible with the generous help of the public, volunteers, suppliers, contractors, planning, Countryside team, and Friends of Yeovil Country Park turning what was a dream into reality."

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Yeovil Mayor, David Recardo, was invited to hoist the flag on the new flagpole.

“I was honoured as mayor to be invited to unveil the flagpole and raise the first flag," he said.

"Yeovil Country Park is a wonderful open space for our communities to use for quiet reflection and recreation.”

Councillor Sarah Dyke, portfolio holder for Environment at South Somerset District Council, said: “This is all down to the care of the Friends of Yeovil Country Park and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them.

"This is a great contribution to the space and we can now display the green flag here at the country park with great pride.”

The Green Flag award is presented to parks and open spaces of a high quality as a way of recognising and rewarding those managing the space.

The international award, now into its third decade, is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.

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