Visitors to Westminster Park, home of Chester croquet club, will have no problem finding the park in 2017. Just look for the Green Flag flying over the entrance. The park has just won a prestigious national award as an outstanding park. David Guyton – better known as a mean AC player and former chairman of Chester croquet club has another life as Chairman of the Friends of Westminster Park. As well as ensuring the croquet lawns are in tip top condition he contributes to the wider management and development of the park. Pictured here in the local Chester paper David naturally mentioned to the readers the two international and the national GC croquet matches which took place in 2016. They may not have actually been responsible for the award but they certainly help the local council to make the case.
Westminster Park is one of eight Cheshire West and Chester parks that have received the prestigious national Green Flag award for 2016/2017. The award is presented to public parks and green spaces throughout the country which meet demanding criteria for providing safe, welcoming and well maintained facilities for a wide range of recreational and leisure activities.
The park achieved its first award in 2010 and, following biennial inspections by independent judges, the award has now been conferred for the fourth time. The park has been leased by the council from the Duke of Westminster since 1946 and the range of facilities has developed considerably over the years.
The park now offers a nine hole, par three, golf course, public and club tennis courts, football and cricket pitches, bowling and croquet lawns, a BMX track, a multi-game hard surface sports area, an open air gymnasium, 400m and 1,000m jogging tracks as well as play facilities for children and young people, and a café.
The park is managed by the council’s greenspaces and streetscene teams with active support from the Friends of Westminster Park who represent the dozen sports and recreation groups that are based in the park. Chairman of Friends of Westminster Park, David Guyton, said: “We are all very grateful to the council for maintaining Westminster Park as one of the premier sporting and recreation facilities in the borough and it is immensely pleasing that we now have such a wide range of flourishing activities based in the park.
“It is also worth noting that the park hosted for the first time two international Croquet matches and a second national tournament in addition to all the other regular games and league matches undertaken by the various clubs in the park.”
[With grateful acknowledgement to the Chester Chronicle (4 Nov 2016)]