A PARK in Barry has been nominated as one of the best parks in Wales.

Porthkerry Country Park has been shortlisted in The Fields in Trust charity's campaign to find the best park in Wales and the whole of the UK.

The award is open to all public green spaces across the UK through a simple online nomination at www.fieldsintrust.org/bestpark.

At a time when the UK’s parks are seeing a dramatic reduction in funding for upkeep and maintenance and childhood obesity is identified as a growing concern, the UK’s Best Park award aims to highlight the vital role of local parks and green spaces and help ensure they are protected from closure or building development.

An online nomination form allows anyone to suggest their favourite green space.

This will be followed by a public vote with the winner announced at the Fields in Trust Awards ceremony on November 30.

The park with the most votes in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be shortlisted.

The UK’s Best Park award is one of eleven categories that together form the fifth, annual Fields in Trust Awards.

Winners will be revealed at Lord’s Cricket Ground in an event which celebrates the achievements of individuals and organisations who have worked over the last year to ensure that everyone has access to protected outdoor recreational space.

Categories include the Community Champion Award and the Young Champion Award.

A new category for 2016 is for the Best Athletics Project on a Fields in Trust site supported by Parkrun, which will celebrate projects which have increased community participation in running or athletics.