Snibston Colliery Park is among the latest winners of a prestigious Green Flag award.

The Leicestershire County Council-run attraction in Coalville has earned the accolade that recognises the very best parks and beauty spots in Britain.

The park, which opened in December 2020 after a £3 million regeneration project, is among nearly 150 East Midlands winners of a 2021 Green Flag Award.

It joins Beacon Hill Country Park, near Loughborough, and Market Bosworth Country Park – both also managed by the county council - on the Green Flag list.

Cabinet lead member for resources councillor Lee Breckon said: "We're absolutely delighted our newest country park at Snibston will now be able to fly a Green Flag alongside some of our wonderful and established attractions.

"If people haven't yet had a chance to visit Snibston, I'd really recommend it so they can see for themselves what the Green Flag judges already have.

"The area has undergone such an incredible transformation.

"I'm also delighted Beacon Hill and Bosworth have been recognised again.

"They've long been amongst the best green spaces in the region.

"Our parks and green spaces have proved a lifeline for so many people during the Covid-19 pandemic so it's brilliant be able to say we have some of the very best."

Snibston now has the Colliery Café, a play area and the Grange Nature Reserve for visitors to enjoy.

It is also home to the popular Century Theatre.

The regeneration project ensured there were nods to the site's historic mining role through a heritage trail.

Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said: "I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making Snibston Colliery Park worthy of a Green Flag Award."

"To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure that Snibston has high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and is a place that supports people to live healthy lives."

The Green Flag Award scheme is in its 25th Silver Jubilee Year.

It is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and 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.

Snibston Colliery was redeveloped in the summer of 2020 with an aim to bring together Coalville's industrial heritage and vibrant natural landscape to create a destination prepared for the future. It includes:

• Colliery Café – environmentally friendly and designed and built to complement the park's industrial heritage and natural landscape.
• Snibston Heritage Trail – offering a glimpse into the history of mining and the story of Coalville through a range of buildings and machinery
• Grange Nature Reserve – with a Victorian arboretum, wetland area, boardwalks, wildflower meadow and two fishing lakes.
• Sculptures – including those created by local artist Sally Matthews using recycled and reformed metal and representing elks which roamed the area before the Ice Age.
• Mountain bike trail – a challenging 4km blue grade route, with options for younger or less experienced cyclists to build confidence in a dedicated skills area.
• Play area – with equipment for children of all ages to enjoy and a pump track for budding mountain bikers.
• Century Theatre – Britain's oldest surviving travelling theatre, renovated and reassembled on a purpose-built site adjoining the former Snibston Colliery

Supporting Leicestershire County Council's commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, the site also features solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.

Leicestershire County Council is very grateful to the following organisations for their help, advice and support in developing Snibston Colliery Park: Snibston Heritage Trust, North West Leicestershire District Council, Snibston Country Park Volunteers, Great Central Railway, British Cycling.