A HYNDBURN park has become the first in the country to receive a prestigious environmental award.

Gatty Park in Church was awarded a gold level Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice, which is usually granted only to large-scale environmental schemes.

This year's list of global winners includes schemes implemented by companies from Bolton Wanderers FC to PepsiCo, Brazil – and even a couple of prisons.

Gatty Park is said to have impressed judges as an active food growing site which is also planted to encourage wildlife.

Judges were also delighted by the way the scheme included schools and local community groups.

The honour comes after the park was given a Green Flag Award in the summer on the basis it is well-maintained and well-managed, with “excellent facilities”.

Coun Ciaran Wells, Hyndburn’s cabinet member for Parks, said: “A massive vote of thanks also goes to Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum and Clayton and Altham Prospects Panel who helped to get the funding and drummed up lots of volunteers to plant areas of the parks grounds with naturalising bulbs, daffodils, bluebells and crocus.

“There is a real sense of community ownership and pride about Gatty now and it’s a welcoming, safe community space with sustainable maintenance and improved biodiversity.”

“This is wonderful news and recognises the sterling work of our parks team who secured funding to improve the park.

“They have done a fabulous job, removing several trees in poor health and overgrown shrubberies and creating new herbaceous borders a wildflower meadow and rock garden and maintaining the shrubs, plants and facilities there.

Hyndburn Council leader Miles Parkinson said: “The judges saw that Gatty Park is more than just a park.

“It is a vibrant food-growing space which helps keep Hyndburn green.”