THE winners of this year’s Love Your Parks photography competition, in association with The Parks Foundation, have been revealed.

The charity asked residents to share their photographs to show what the parks and green spaces in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area, of which there are more than 450, mean to them.

The competition, which ran throughout July and August, had four park-related categories: wildlife, plants, play, and ‘what a park means to me’.

The Parks Foundation’s manager Cathi Farrer said: “We are incredibly lucky to live in an area which has so many parks and green spaces.

“During Covid, parks became a refuge for many of us and we really valued being able to exercise, play and watch the wildlife in them.

“We were delighted to receive such a wide range and high calibre of photos, with people showing us why they love their local park and what makes it special, unusual or interesting.”

The overall winner was Janet Panter for her wildlife photographs, including a stunning kingfisher with a just-caught fish, photographed along the River Stour, near Kingfisher Barn.

Bournemouth Echo: Janet Panter - burnet moth at Holes Bay nature reserve

In the under 18 competition, Aimee Llewellyn won for her photo of an inquisitive squirrel in Bournemouth gardens and Tuesday Phillips and Hannah Adams jointly won the under 11’s category with their photos of a child playing in Littledown Park and in the sandpit at Poole Park.

The judges have selected their favourites which are now on display on The Parks Foundation’s website gallery, which can be found at https://parksfoundation.org.uk.