Green champ Julie wins top national award

Julie Norman was named Fields in Trust community champion at a ceremony at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

The award celebrates the efforts of those who go the extra mile to champion their local green spaces through encouraging others to get involved and enhancing the spaces for users.

Julie was nominated for the award following her years of tireless effort improving the Lytham park for the local community.

As part of her work she regularly coordinates and runs school visits, introducing the children to nature through nature walks, bug hunts and a wide range of other activities, also runs nature-based sessions for a local day care group and a weekly health walk in the park, as well as a variety of clubs including a gardening club, herbalist club and a wildlife watch club.

Julie’s nomination highlighted the fact that her work has helped the park’s aims of increasing social cohesion and encouraged the idea that physical activity can be fun and she is always keen to demonstrate the diverse range of activities available at the park and to promote ‘natural’ play for children who visit.

Julie said: “I am absolutely delighted and quite overwhelmed to win this award.

“I am very happy to accept it on behalf of the community of Lytham and Park View who are the most enthusiastic people to work with.

“I love my job and feel proud to play a small part in the fantastic work that Fields in Trust do. Park View will be there for the community forever.”

Fields in Trust is a national charity whose mission is to ensure that everyone – young or old, able-bodied or disabled and wherever they live – should have access to free, local outdoor space for sport, play and recreation.

Chief executive Helen Griffiths said: “The work of Julie, and the hundreds more like her across the county, is vital to ensuring local green spaces remain true community assets.

“The Fields in Trust Awards help recognise the role that parks and other green spaces play in our communities, bringing people together and creating a safe outdoor environment that everyone should have access to no matter where they live.

“Congratulations to Julie on her well deserved award and thanks to her and all those outstanding individuals across the UK who go the extra mile for their local green spaces.”

Julie was presented with her award by Annette Byron from International law firm Freshfields, Bruckhaus Deringer, who are a corporate supporter of the Fields in Trust charity, while broadcaster Jill Douglas was also involved in the ceremony.