Simmons Park has been awarded the coveted Green Flag Award as it is officially recognised as one of the country’s best parks.

The site is one of 2,250 in the UK to achieve the award, which is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

The news that Simmons Park has met the standards required for the accreditation is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that care for the green space so that visitors and residents alike can enjoy it.

Paul Todd MBE, Green Flag Award Scheme manager, said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in Simmons Park who have worked tirelessly to ensure that it achieves the high standards required for the Green Flag Award.“

“Quality parks and green spaces like Simmons Park make the country a healthier place to live and work in, and a stronger place in which to invest.“

Crucially, Simmons Park is a vital green space for communities in Okehampton to enjoy nature, and during the ongoing cost of living crisis it is a free and safe space for families to socialise.

It also provides important opportunities for local people and visitors to reap the physical and mental health benefits of green space.

Simmons Park is a very special place. It was opened in July 1907 by the Lord Mayor of London, Lord Treloar and named after Sydney Simmons, a local benefactor who generously gifted the park to the town.

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.