Green Flags will be flying across Brighton & Hove this summer as the council celebrates having some of the finest parks in the country.
Easthill Park, Hove Park, Kipling Gardens, Preston Park, St Ann’s Well Gardens and Stoneham Park have all been awarded prestigious Green Flags for excellence.
The national awards, handed out by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognises and rewards the best parks and green spaces across the country. The Green Flags which will fly in Brighton & Hove Parks are only given to parks with the highest possible standards which are beautifully maintained with excellent facilities.
The council is particularly pleased to see Stoneham Recreation Ground in West Hove picking up its fourth award.
St Ann’s Well Gardens in Hove flies the flag for the 14th year, while Preston Park celebrates a 13th successive year. Easthill Park in Portslade has picked up its 11th award, Hove Park is celebrating a ninth success while Kipling Gardens in Rottingdean has won its sixth award.
Brighton & Hove’s parks are managed in-house. Councillor Pete West, chair of the environment and sustainability committee, said: “It’s fantastic news that we will once again be flying six Green Flags in parks in Brighton, Hove, Portslade and Rottingdean - a real city-wide success story.
“Access to good quality open space is especially important in our densely populated city where many people don’t have private gardens.
“From the smaller spaces, like Kipling Gardens in Rottingdean, to the large municipal parks such as Preston Park, our dedicated staff work tirelessly to make sure that the quality is maintained and our parks and gardens are a pleasure to visit all year round.
The record number of awards across the country means more people than ever before will have access to well-managed, quality green space, which is vital to people’s health and wellbeing.
Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said: “We are thrilled to announce yet another record-breaking year for Green Flag Award parks and green spaces.
“A Green Flag Award provides national recognition for the hard work and dedication of all the parks managers, staff and volunteers who have helped to create these fantastic places for all to enjoy.
“Quality green spaces are absolutely essential to happy, healthy communities. They are fundamental to our quality of life, whether in cities, towns or villages. That is why it is so significant that we have given out more awards than ever before.”
Notes for editors
Keep Britain Tidy is a leading environmental charity. We inspire people to be litter-free, to waste less and to live more. We are run programmes including Eco-Schools, the Green Flag Award for parks and green spaces and the Blue Flag/ Seaside Awards for beaches. To find out more about Keep Britain Tidy, our programmes and campaigns visit www.keepbritaintidy.org.
Keep Britain Tidy run the Green Flag Award scheme in the UK on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government. It is run in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy, Tidy Northern Ireland, Keep Scotland Beautiful, the National Housing Federation and the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens.
Any green space that is 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 Flag Community 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.