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GIFTS, once given, can be easily forgotten. But King George III’s present was a permanent one. He gave 200 acres of land to Harrogate in 1778 which is still being enjoyed by its residents today. The decree, known as the Stray Award which included Bogs Field, now part of Valley Gardens, designated the land as open public space and remains enshrined by an Act of Parliament. Over the centuries, it has allowed the spa town to sculpt green spaces that are the envy of the world.

Another year of judging for the Yorkshire in Bloom competition is coming to an end with Harrogate yet again hoping for gold and residents and visitors passing lazy days stretched back on its lawns and gardens may well spare a passing thought to the greatest gift ever bestowed upon the town.

Though things have changed since King George’s day, Valley Gardens, in particular, is now unrecognisable from the boggy land carved out of the ancient Forest of Knaresborough in the 18th century. A skate park was opened inside the gardens earlier this year and youngsters can now be found performing daring tricks on skateboards, BMX bikes and mini-scooters from dawn until dusk. Elsewhere, visitors play tennis, disc-golf, mini-golf and ping-pong.

Valley Gardens started to take root in 1886, when a design competition was held in Harrogate for laying out a “public pleasure grounds” along the footpath from the Royal Pump Room to Bogs Field. A year later, a Mr Chipchase was appointed Harrogate’s first parks superintendent. By the turn of the century, new footpaths had been laid out and more land had been purchased and added to the gardens.

A raft of improvements followed throughout the 20th century, including a number of new play areas and a 1930s Sun Pavilion, which was refurbished in 1998 and officially opened by the Queen. Nowadays, Valley Gardens comprises 17 acres of park, woodland, and floral displays and contains what is believed to be the greatest number of mineral springs coming to the surface than in any other location on the planet. Yet if he were alive today, Mr Chipcase could take a stroll through the gardens and recognise much of the park he loved. Couples still take evening walks along the specially-built Victorian promenade next to the pine woods at the top of the gardens, which cast out stunning views across the Harrogate district and towards the Yorkshire Dales.

On warm Sundays, brass bands from across Yorkshire play to picnicking families from its impressive bandstand and others sip coffee in the gothic style Magnesia Well, built in Bogs Field in 1858 and now converted into a cafe. Across the gardens and on to the Stray, time has more or less stood still.

But it takes a lot of work to ensure that nothing changes on its 200 acres apart from the blooming of its crocuses and reddening of the blossom on its cherry tree walk. Harrogate Council staff cut the grass on the Stray once every two weeks and aim for a minimum of 14 cuts per year.

The size of the green space means it takes a tractor three days to cut all of the grass, while a smaller machine takes a further five days to cut around all of the trees and benches.

Meanwhile, the Stray Defence Association, formed in 1933, still battles to uphold the Act of Parliament with the motto: “We have not inherited the Stray from our parents; we have borrowed it from our children”.

In total, the council employs about 60 gardeners, arboriculturalists and cemetery staff to maintain the district’s 391 hectares of open space. And with one million bulbs planted alone in the central Harrogate area and 500,000 bedding plants grown annually producing 1,200 hanging baskets, they certainly have their hands full.

The work that goes into Harrogate’s green spaces does not go unnoticed and the town has a glittering trophy cabinet, which includes gold in Britain in Bloom in 2009 as well as best public park in Britain for Valley Gardens and a host of other national and international awards.

What accolade the Yorkshire in Bloom judges will give for the town in 2011, remains to be seen, with the decision announced later this year.

But for all of the spa town’s residents and visitors: from football teams running laps of the Stray for pre-season training, to pensioners taking a stroll through the immaculate gardens, to couples lying back on the freshly mown grass and enjoying the sun on their faces – the verdict is already in.

Long live the king.

TAKING THE WATERS GAVE BIRTH TO MODERN TOWN

* William Slingsby’s discovery of the Tewit Well began Harrogate’s story as a spa town and in 1631 Dr Michael Stanhope took it forward with St John’s Well. By the late 17th century, business was brisk as people opened accommodation to meet demand from visitors taking the waters.

* A theatre followed in 1788 and the Promenade Rooms (now the excellent Mercer Gallery) in 1806. By the 1830s, more than 10,000 people were attracted each year, prompting the development of the Royal Pump Room.

* The Valley Gardens were laid out in 1887 and 10 years later came the Royal Baths – the most advanced centre for hydrotherapy in the world – and in 1903 The Royal Hall.