Green Flag Award
The news is official. Camden Council now manages eight of the UK's best parks.
The awards, which are run by environmental charities Keep Britain Tidy, BTCV and Greenspace, were announced on 27th July 2010 during national Love Parks Week, during which people are encouraged to enjoy the nation's parks and green spaces. The Green Flag judges reward excellent use of green space, well maintained facilities, community involvement and a high standard of safety and security.
Camden's parks are getting better every year with Maygrove Peace Park joining the seven parks who received the prestigious award in 2009. Bloomsbury Square, Brunswick Square, Russell Square, St Georges Gardens, St Martins Gardens, Talacre Gardens and Waterlow Park all maintained their Green Flag Awards from 2009.
Councillor Tulip Siddiq, Cabinet Member for Culture, Camden Council, said: 'This is fantastic news for Camden's parks. I would like to thank all our friends groups who work tirelessly with us to make our parks and open spaces such beautiful places for residents and visitors to enjoy. I would encourage everyone to get out during Love Parks Week and see why our parks won these prestigious awards.'
The Green Flag Award
The Green Flag Award is the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales. The award scheme began in 1996 as a means of recognising and rewarding the best green spaces in the country. It was also seen as a way of encouraging others to achieve the same high environmental standards, creating a benchmark of excellence in recreational green areas.
Winning a Green Flag Awards brings excellent publicity. Both the media and the public are becoming increasingly aware that a site flying a Green Flag is a high quality green space. We realise that all green spaces are different and this diversity is welcomed. Each site is judged on its own merits and suitability to the community it serves.
Awards are given on an annual basis and winners must apply each year to renew their Green Flag status. Throughout the land the owners, managers and staff of many parks and green spaces work tirelessly to ensure their application for the prestigious Green Flag Award is successful. The number of applicants increases year after year and, with this increasing interest in the scheme, it is clear the Green Flag Award scheme is a resounding success.
There has recently been much discussion about the declining quality of our city parks and lack of focus upon rural green spaces. While this is undoubtedly a cause for concern in many places there are also many examples of thriving, popular sites run by dedicated, enthusiastic people working closely with their local communities. Many places that were run-down and neglected just a few years ago are now shining examples of outstanding green space management, and this shows the way forward. The Green Flag Award Scheme is the impetus to an ever-increasing improvement in the quality of our parks and green spaces.