Green Flag Awards announced for 2,227 parks across UK
A record number of green spaces across Britain have been ranked with the highest environmental standards.
2,227 parks and nature reserves have been given the coveted Green Flag Award – the international quality mark for green spaces. Each year, local authorities and other land managers are invited to submit evidence of work being done to preserve, maintain and improve standards.
Four parks received their first Green Flag Award in 2024 after 28 years of the ceremony. These were:
*Cockington County Park, Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust
*Worden Park, South Ribble Borough Council
*Queen’s Park, City of London
*Highgate Wood, City of London
Nature Landscape’s Kings Cross Estate in London, Manchester’s Mayfield Park, managed by Mayfield Development Partership, and the Headingley Campus at Leeds Beckett University were among the examples of modern urban green spaces.
Historic parks, gardens, canals and other green heritage sites are at the heart of the network of public open spaces that are critical to our health and wellbeing, nature and the environment. The Green Flag Awards recognise the fantastic effort made and high standards achieved by parks professionals, community groups, volunteers and others across the country who look after these important places,’ said Erika Diaz Peterson, Historic England’s Principal National Landscape Advisor.
‘At Historic England we are very pleased to support Green Heritage Site Accreditation in England, celebrating the achievements of Green Flag Award winners who care for, share and celebrate the heritage of their sites,’ she continued.
130 winners walked away with a Green Heritage Site Accreditation for successful approaches to historic features, suppored by Historic England. These included:
*Wyndham Park, Grantham – South Kesteven District Council
*Coombe Abbey Country Park, Coventry – Coventry District Council
*Lancaster Canal – Canal & Rivers Trust
A number of community and voluntary groups were also successful at the Green Flag Awards:
*Simmons Park, Okehampton – Simmons Park Trustees and Okehampton Town Council
*Lions of the Great War Smethwick – Guru Nanak Gurdwara
*Riverside Miniature Railway, St Neots – Riverside Miniature Railway Club
‘Prioritising parks and green spaces is vital for our future, so we are delighted to see that 2,227 sites have met the standards required for a Green Flag Award, reflecting the tireless work of those tasked with looking after these important national assets,’ said Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive at Keep Britain Tidy, which manages the Green Flag Award scheme, under license from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.
‘We know beyond doubt that our local environment contributes to the wellbeing of individuals and communities, with our parks and green spaces recognised as areas where people can come together and be active. Research shows that time spent in green spaces can positively affect mental and physical health, quality of life and a sense of wellbeing,’ she continued. ‘We believe the standards expected in the Green Flag Award should be a minimum for every park, and it is our ambition that by 2030 we increase the number of sites achieving Green Flag Award status even further so that people across the world, wherever they live, can access and enjoy safe, high-quality green space.’
You can find a full list of all 2024 Green Flag Award winners here.
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Image: Green Flag Awards