• Sitemap
• Text Only
• Full Graphics

You are here: Home > News > Press Releases

• Could you help to raise the standard of our green spaces?

• Date:

  22nd January 2008

• Contact:

  Sarah Egerton

• Organisation:

  The Civic Trust

Voluntary judges are key to the success of the Green Flag Award scheme and with early indications showing a record amount of applications for 2008, green space professionals are invited to join the training places still available for next year.

Following the recent completion of the first round of regional training, the Civic Trust is keen to fill up the final spaces of the second round. Prospective judges are people within the industry who are enthusiastic about improving the standard of parks and green spaces throughout the country. Becoming a judge is the best way to gain the experience needed to attain a Green Flag Award, the hallmark of a quality green space. And then there is bountiful opportunity to take part in a sharing of innovative ideas and best practice as judges become part of a network of more than 600 green space professionals.

Green Flag Award Applications Manager Paul Todd said: “Our judges bring something really special to the scheme, providing a personal touch on visiting each site and talking with those who are involved. The process of judging applications enables our judges to learn from other green space professionals, taking new ideas and solutions home to improve their own parks and green spaces.

“We don’t think of a Green Flag Award as a final product – it is part of a scheme - it’s about coaching and encouraging sites and helping them to join a hugely rewarding ‘family’ with access to a valuable, ever-increasing network of professional expertise and best practice.”
For further information about becoming a Green Flag Award judge, please contact Christina Wentworth on: 0151 231 6903 - alternatively, email Christina on:  All applicants for a Green Flag Award have until January 31, 2008 to enter the scheme.  For further information about applying for a Green Flag Award, please contact: Paul Todd : 0151 231 690 4 or email

1. The Green Flag Award scheme, launched in 1996, is managed by the Civic Trust on behalf of Communities and Local Government and the Green Flag Advisory Board which comprises founders of the scheme, sponsors, winners and judges. 2. In addition to 554 Green Flags awarded for 2007/08, 31 sites achieved Green Heritage Site Accreditation and 77 community run sites were rewarded with a Green Pennant Award. 3. The scheme is sponsored by Communities and Local Government, English Heritage, Natural England and in Wales by the Countryside Council for Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Design Commission for Wales and the Environment Agency Wales. 4. Any green space in England and Wales that is freely accessible to the public is eligible to enter for a Green Flag Award. Awards are given on an annual basis and winners must apply each year to renew their Green Flag status. A Green Pennant Award recognises quality sites managed by voluntary and community groups. Green Heritage Site accreditation is judged on the treatment of the site’s historic features and the standard of conservation. Sites are judged in May and June each year and the winners are announced in July, flying their Green Flag until July the following year. 5. The Civic Trust is an independent, national charity, founded in 1957. It works with people to promote thriving towns and villages, developing partnerships between communities, government and business to deliver regeneration and local improvement. It is the umbrella body for 850 civic societies across the country, representing over 250,000 individuals committed to improving and caring for places where people live and work. http://www.civictrust.org.uk 6. A comprehensive guide to events taking place at Green Flag Award sites throughout the year, as well as news and announcements, can be found by visiting the scheme’s dedicated website: http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk