CREWE'S Queens Park has been awarded a prestigious Green Flag Award and here's a couple of fantastic pictures which show just why.

The award was made by Keep Britain Tidy which also bestowed a Green Heritage Site Accreditation for the management of the Grade II listed park's historic features.

Local snapper Jonathan White's handiwork showcases some of Queens Park's fine features - its Victorian clock tower and lake.

Here's some facts about the Victorian park which has been an oasis of calm for so many during these difficult times.

1. Queens Park was laid out by railway engineer Francis Webb, Richard Moon, Mayor of Crewe, and the celebrated garden designer Edward Kemp, opening in 1887.

1. A £6.5m restoration in 2014 saw a new children's playground and bowls pavilion built as well as a revamp of bridges and footpaths.

1. The Burma Star Island was dedicated as a permanent Memorial to the Allied Forces who fought in the Burma Campaign during World War II with a memorial stone transported from ICI's Runcorn works.

1. Up until the pandemic Queens Park attracted hundreds of runners for parkrun every Saturday morning at 9am from February, 17, 2018.

1. It is said the fossilised remains of a Tulip Tree dating back to the Ice Age is located in the path which leads from the cafe down to the lake.

1. One of the oldest pieces of local history can be found on the Coronation Walk path - a piece of Aberdeen. The walkway granite dates from from the glacier age some 500 million years ago.

1. The park's flowerbeds and former greenhouses produced onions, tomatoes and other crops for locals during World War II.

1. The original park pavilion was gutted by fire on the night of December 12, 1974. A new pavilion, the Jubilee Cafeteria, opened in June 1977. That was replaced by the Lakeside Cafe in 2011.

1. The park used to house an aviary and rabbit/guinea pig hutches which were a popular draw with youngsters until vandals opened the cages and the animals escaped.

1. The Friends of Queens Park raise money to stage park events. The group's latest fundraising has seen them design and print 2021 calendars capturing park scenery. They go on sale on October 31 at a cost of £10 with all cash going towards play area refurbishment. Contact Diane Scoffin and Richard Palin via the Facebook page 'Queens Park Crewe - The People's Park' https://www.facebook.com/groups/113405702150