Quality Management and Awards - Print version

Coombe Abbey Park has been managed as a woodland for over 1000 years. The Council has been running the site since the 1960s and we hope to play a part in its success for many years to come.

Our conscientious approach to Quality Management has been recognised in the several national accolades we have won.

Management plan

The Coombe Abbey Park management plan 2024 - 2028 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/coombe-country-park/coombe-abbey-park-management-plan-2024-2028] focuses on three key areas - the management of visitor services, the management of the historic landscape and nature conservation.

The management plan sets out how we plan to manage the site effectively in these three areas. All these documents are accessible online or available to view at the Visitor Centre.

The plan is a working document and is turned into individual work plans for each member of staff. These are updated every year and help to make sure that the aims of the management plan are continually being met.

The management plan went through a series of stages to get to where it is today. These included a consultation period where visitors could have their say on the plan’s focus and content.

Awards

SSSI - A large part of the site is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as recognition of its importance to wildlife.

Its historic parkland is also on the English Heritage [https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/what-is-designation/registered-parks-and-gardens/] register of historic parks and gardens.

Green Flag [https://www.greenflagaward.org/] - Awarded annually since 2005. The Green Flag award is a national quality standard mark for parks and open spaces and is very important for the site. We are delighted to announce that once again in 2024 the judges were very impressed with the high quality standard of the site. In 2024 Coombe also achieved the Green Heritage Site status in recognition of achieving the required standard in management and interpretation of a site of both local and national importance for the third year running.

Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme [https://visitenglandassessmentservices.com/our-schemes/visitor-attractions/] - We continue to participate in this scheme and are assessed annually by Visit England as a quality assured visitor attraction.

Visitors on leading customer travel review site Tripadvisor [https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186403-d214038-Reviews-Coombe_Abbey_Country_Park-Coventry_West_Midlands_England.html] have also offered their seal of approval with consistently high scoring reviews, earning Coombe a Certificate of Excellence [https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TripAdvisorInsights/n2628/travellers-have-spoken-2015-certificate-excellence] in 2019.

Country Park Accreditation [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-accreditation-for-your-country-park] - for having successfully met a number of essential and desirable criteria. There are only 32 accredited Country Parks in England.