Macclesfield Canal has become the first ever canal to be given the coveted Green Flag Award.

The status traditional celebrated quality green spaces such as parks, cemeteries, universities, shopping centres and community gardens.

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But work to preserve the 26 mile waterway, which runs from Marple to Kidsgrove, wowed judges so much that they deemed it worthy of the accolade.

Praise was poured on the Canal River Trust, the charity which manages the nation’s network of 2,000 canals and rivers, and its local branch, Manchester and Pennine Waterway, for its efforts to build relationships with volunteers and community groups to help look after the canal.

Macclesfield Canal, which opened in 1831, was announced as one of 239 parks and green spaces across the North West to be able fly a Green Flag Award.

Previous local winners are Tegg’s Nose Country Park and Bollington Recreation Ground.

Richard Parry, chief executive of the Canal and River Trust, praised Keith Sexton and David Baldacchino from Manchester and Pennine Waterway for breaking new ground.

He said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the Trust and the Manchester and Pennine Waterway Partnership, and helps to set new standards of excellence across our entire canal network. Our aim is to encourage other canals to take up the challenge now and to seek Green Flag status via the same rigorous assessment process.

“The Green Flag award embodies our belief that living waterways transform places and enrich lives. I’m delighted this independent external validation has confirmed our success in realising this goal.”

The Green Flag Awards are judged against eight strict criteria, including environmental standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement. In their feedback report the judges state: “There is a developing sense of a genuine joint effort between the Trust and the community in looking after the Macclesfield Canal. The Trust is putting much effort into developing community engagement with the waterways. On the Macclesfield this includes ‘Welcome’ volunteers and a number of volunteer work groups and adoption schemes: Manchester and Pennine Waterways leads the field in developing formal adoption groups.”