Talkin Tarn
Local beauty spot achieves national accreditation
(Date of issue: Friday, 10 February 2012)
Talkin Tarn Country Park has been awarded a national
accreditation, making it one of only 40 official Country Parks in
England.
Launched in August 2009, Natural England’s Country Parks
Accreditation Scheme aims to identify and recognise those sites
that deliver the core facilities and services expected of Country
Parks.
Managers of sites who believe their sites are "Country Parks"
and deliver the core facilities and services expected of a country
park are invited to apply for Accredited Country Park status. To
achieve this they need to provide evidence that demonstrates how
their site delivers the scheme's criteria for core facilities and
services.
Not all sites calling themselves Country Parks currently deliver
all the core facilities and services expected of them both as
originally set out in the 1968 Countryside Act (which originally
established Country Parks) and as necessary for the role they play
today. With Country Park practitioners, Natural England has updated
criteria for core facilities and services established in 1968 so
they reflect the role of Country Parks today– these now underpin
the Accreditation Scheme.
Talkin Tarn’s Management team applied for Country Park status
last year and met all the necessary criteria. The criteria
included: Accessibility; Character; Facilities; Links to
communities & neighbourhoods; Management; Activities and
Information & Interpretation.
Cllr Ray Bloxham, Portfolio holder for Environment and Housing
said:
“It’s great news that Natural England has accredited the site as
an official Country Park. Talkin Tarn is now one of only 40
official sites in England. A great deal has been done to improve
the site since the City Council took over the management of the
site in 2006. The facilities are now more accessible and the
improvements work to the site buildings and grounds have resulted
in a massive transformation.”
The ownership of Talkin Tarn from Cumbria County Council to
Carlisle City Council took place in March 2006. Since then, the
City Council has invested more than £1million upgrading the
facilities at the Brampton beauty spot. Works included new toilets;
a new educational facility; changing the boat house into a bird
watching facility; improving the paths and woodland tree
planting.
A Friends of Talkin Tarn has also been established.