A SMALL park on the banks of the Wye on the site of a redundant station has been named as the nation's favourite park by a record number of votes.

Old Station at Tintern was voted the UK's favourite park in the annual People's Choice Award public poll, beating into a cocked hat far larger parks in far bigger places including Warley Woods in the West Midlands, Oxford Brookes University campus and Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets.

The site, with a cafe, refurbished railway carriages and 10 acres of riverside land, is hugely popular with families on both sides of the border and topped the nationwide election with 2,400 votes.

John Sterry, the Old Station manager, said: "We won by a record number of votes.

"To me, there is a lot of love, a lot of passion for the site. I had people on the telephone like a woman who had come herself, brought her kids and grandchildren. Three generations. That's a lot of memories."

In the words of one voter: "Tintern Old Station is a fantastic site in the heart of the stunning Wye Valley. A great place for families, lots of interesting local information on site and excellent views of the countryside."

Although the win for Old Station, which gets a remarkable 80,000 to 100,000 visitors a year (depending on the weather) will give a good opportunity to bid for grants, John Sterry says it is: "Testament to the amount of work done by the volunteers and the staff in the tea rooms. They are vital to the success of our park."

He adds: "There's not many places you can enjoy a walk close to the River Wye that are safe for the family. And, although we're in Monmouthshire, I see us as neither Welsh nor English. We're in the Wye Valley AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and we're so close to the border we get many visitors from the Forest as we do from Monmouthshire. I also really hope hope that there will be a spin off from this success for bed and breakfasts and hotels in the village, which would be great."