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You are here: Home > Winners > Case Studies

• Natural flagpole is a winner

• Date:

  29th October 2007

• Contact:

  Sarah Egerton

• Organisation:

  The Civic Trust

The friends of an ancient wood in Wakefield have discovered an ingenious approach to displaying their Green Flag on this sensitive award winning site.

As preparations went ahead for the flag raising ceremony on this site comprising 68 acres of ancient woodland, the Friends of Haw Park Wood made the decision to find an alternative to the traditional flagpole and went in search of a more natural material to fly the flag on, something more in keeping with the woodland setting. They soon struck on the idea of creating a flagpole out of a tree, possibly larch.

In the 1600s Haw Park Wood was originally part of the much larger ancient Don Forest and was predominantly native broadleaved species of oak and birch. Between 1940 and 1960, much of the woodland was replanted with fast growing larch and pine trees to supply timber to the coal mining industry

Dave Mee, countryside ranger for Haw Park Wood, suggested making the flagpole from a lodge pole pine tree growing in the woodland.  It made a natural choice for a flagpole, was more fire resistant than other trees and would proudly carry the flag for visitors to see at the entrance to the woodland. It even had the potential to provide habitats for nesting birds.

On September 25, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council and the Friends of Haw Park held their Green Flag raising ceremony at the entrance to the wood on this unique, natural, flagpole (complete with two bird boxes), for all visitors to see at the top of the footpath approaching the wood from Anglers Country Park.

Friend Cynthia Dickinson said: “It’s not nesting season yet but some blue tits and a great spotted woodpecker have already been sussing it out for their home, despite it only being fluttering distance from the flag raising ceremony!”

Visitors have been flocking in and commenting on how the new flagpole compliments this natural woodland.  Wakefield Metropolitan District Council are now hoping to install another flagpole at Five Ways, a central area of the wood, which will also have picnic tables, seating and interpretation about Haw Park Wood.