A POPULAR Brighouse park will get the Royal “seal of approval”.

Wellholme Park, just outside the town centre, is one of two Calderdale parks that have been awarded the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Fields status, meaning they will be protected forever.

Calderdale residents voted Wellholme Park and Centre Vale Park in Todmorden as their favourite parks to receive the special protection.

The voting took place as part of the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge, a campaign organised by national charity Fields in Trust, to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the London 2012 Olympics.

The aim is to protect 2,012 outdoor recreational spaces in communities across the country as a permanent living legacy of these great events.

In Huddersfield, Cliff Rec in Wooldale, Holmfirth, was confirmed as one of the recipients of the regal title.

Some 387 people voted for it in an online poll.

Calderdale Council put forward 18 parks and playing fields to go to the public vote.

With their new status, winners Wellholme Park and Centre Vale Park will be able to apply for funding to protect them forever, ensuring communities and future generations will always have access to them.

Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for communities, Clr Pauline Nash, said: “I’m thrilled that two Calderdale parks have received such a prestigious award and can help create a lasting legacy of Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics.

“Our parks are an important part of our environment and they have a big part to play in contributing to people’s health and well-being.

“The Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge has given us the fantastic chance to preserve the land, facilities and opportunities for sport, play and outdoor recreation both now and forever.”

Alison Moore-Gwyn, chief executive of Fields in Trust, is delighted that thousands of people across the country have shown support for their local parks and playing fields.

“The passion they have shown for their local parks is exactly the community spirit that is so vital to the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge.”

The Duke of Cambridge, Patron of the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge, lent his voice to the campaign, urging people to support their local sites to ensure vital outdoor recreational spaces are protected for future generations.

The park, off Bradford Road, spreads over 14 hectares.

It was part of the Camm Estate and sold to St James’s Church for a new building in 1867.

The church building was demolished in the early part of the 20th century and replaced with a cinema.

The parkland was sold to Brighouse Corporation in 1935.

The park has facilities including two bowling greens, tennis courts, crazy golf, a skate park and a play area.

The Clifton Beck stream runs through the park.