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• National award celebrates high standards in our parks and green spaces

• Date:

  8th November 2002

• Contact:

  Sarah Egerton

• Organisation:

  The Civic Trust

The Green Flag Steering Group announced yesterday (7 November 2002) that 125 parks across the UK have been awarded a Green Flag Award, the nationally recognised award for quality which aims to raise the standards of our green spaces.

The results were made known at an award ceremony yesterday at Hall Place and Gardens in Bexley, South-East London at which winners in the South received their Awards; another event is planned in Sunderland on 21 November for winners in the North.

The results this year challenge the traditional ‘north-south’ divide – 73% of the parks that entered the scheme in the north of the UK were of a high enough standard to receive the prestigious Green Flag Award, as opposed to 71% of the parks in the southern part of the UK. In total 174 parks and green spaces entered the scheme in 2002.  Among this year’s winning green spaces were six parks that have consistently received an Award in the six years of its existence, namely: Worden Park, South Ribble; Hall Place and Gardens, Bexley; Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park, both managed by the Corporation of London; Cockington Country Park, Torbay, and Queen Mary Gardens, Carrick.

However, it wasn’t just big corporate or local authority run green spaces that were successful this year.  For the first time the contribution that community and voluntary run parks and gardens make to an area has been celebrated by the Green Flag steering group and 11 so called Green Pennant Awards have been awarded to community or voluntary groups running such green spaces.

In welcoming the awards, Tony McNulty MP, Regeneration Minister with responsibility for urban parks and green spaces said: ‘‘Good quality green spaces are vital to improving the liveability of our communities and delivering the urban renaissance.  We have listened to the concerns that many people have about the quality of our urban parks and green spaces.  Through our Urban White Paper initiatives we have taken action.  A key part of this has been our effort to establish clearer standards of quality to guide improvements.  This is where the Green Flag Award scheme has a big part to play and why we support the scheme.

I am delighted at the number of awards made this year.  Not only is this another record year for Green Flag winners but for the first time Green Pennants have been awarded to recognise the achievements of communities who care for green spaces in their area.  I whole-heartedly congratulate all the winners’.

Green Flag scheme judges look for spaces which are welcoming, healthy and safe, clean and well maintained, as well as spaces which are sustainable and which involve the local community.  Any freely accessible green space is eligible to apply for a Green Flag Award, including town parks, country parks, gardens or millennium greens, although entries for the Green Pennant Award must be managed by local, voluntary or community groups.

Nick Reeves, Chairman of the Green Flag Steering Group said: ‘There are more winners this year than there have ever been in a year, and we are delighted that the importance of all types of parks and green spaces in improving the quality of life for communities is being recognised by local areas. Our green spaces are here for this and future generations, and the Green Flag scheme will help ensure their survival.’

The Green Flag scheme is supported by the government and features in ‘Green Spaces, Better Places’, the final report of the Urban Green Spaces Taskforce.  The Green Pennant Award was launched by the then Regeneration Minister at the time of the Report’s publication in May 2002.

The Green Flag scheme is overseen by a group of respected environmental organisations and is managed by The Civic Trust.

NOTES FOR EDITORS The Green Flag Award Scheme is a joint project of:; the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management; the Children's Play Council; the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management; English Nature; KMC Consultancy; Liz Greenhalgh (independent consultant); Ian Baggott (independent consultant); Mike Rowan; John Newton (independent consultant); Patrick Kilburn (green flag award judge) and the Civic Trust. The above organisations/people form the Green Flag steering group. The Civic Trust manages the scheme on behalf of the steering group. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is a supporter of the Green Flag Award scheme, providing funds through its Special Grants Programme. The Civic Trust promotes and inspires progressive improvements in the quality of urban life for everyone. One of the Trust’s core activities is to promote excellence by setting high standards of design, sustainability and community involvement and recognising the very best through a range of awards. The Urban Green Spaces Taskforce was set up in January 2001 to advise the Government on improving the quality of our urban parks, play areas and green spaces. Further details and the full Taskforce report can be found on the ODPM website at http://www.odpm.gov.uk;