Darley Park has been recognised by Tripadvisor as a 2021 Travellers’ Choice award winner.
The accolade celebrates business and locations that consistently deliver fantastic experiences for visitors, having earned great reviews on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months. As challenging as the past year has been, Darley Park has stood out by continuously delighting visitors and is now among the top 10% of similar attractions worldwide.
This award helps maintain the park’s status as a leading example globally, along with the Green Flag Award that it received in 2020/21, the benchmark standard for parks and green spaces.
Darley Park is a large space with picturesque parkland, gardens, and wildflower meadows, situated on the River Derwent, and forms the gateway to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
The park’s Hydrangea Collection is the largest in the country, another highlight is the Wildlife Garden next door, both tended by enthusiastic volunteers from Hydrangea Derby and Friends of Darley Open Spaces respectively.
Events were able to return to the park this year, including the Superhero picnic in July that provided three days of summer family fun. The annual Hannells Darley Park Concert also returned after a year’s absence, as part of the first Darley Park weekender, attracting visitors from around the country.
Councillor Jerry Pearce, Cabinet Member for Streetpride and Public Spaces, said:
Derby has a history of amazing parks – Derby Arboretum has been recognised as the first public park in the country and inspired New York’s Central Park. We are proud of our beautiful parks, and what makes this award even better is that it has been based on visitors’ experiences.
I would also like to say a special thank you to the amazing volunteers who work hard to make Darley Park special. Their contributions are a key part of winning these awards.
We look forward to welcoming more visitors not just to Darley Park, but to all of our parks and open spaces across the city.
Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor, said:
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2021 Travellers’ Choice Awards. I know the past year has been extremely challenging for tourism businesses. What has impressed me is how businesses adapted to these challenges, implementing new cleanliness measures, adding social distancing guidelines, and utilizing technology to prioritize guest safety. The Travellers’ Choice Awards highlight the places that are consistently excellent - delivering quality experiences time and time again even while navigating changing customer expectations and new ways of working. Based on a full year of reviews from customers, this award speaks to the great service and experience you provided guests in the midst of a pandemic.