Keep Wales Tidy has revealed this year’s Green Flag Award winners – the international mark of a quality park or green space.
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221 parks and green spaces have met the high standards needed to receive the coveted Green Flag Award and Green Flag Community Award. They include a diverse range of sites, from urban parks and housing estates, to university campuses and farms.
Among this year’s recipients of the Green Flag Award are, for the first time, Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire, Tre Cwm estate in Conwy and two new sites managed by Caldicot Town Council – King George V Playing Field and Dewstow Cemetery.
[/aoa]Wales now holds more than a third of the UK’s community Green Flag sites, which rely on volunteers to maintain their excellent facilities. There are now award-winning green spaces in every local authority, including Swansea Community Farm and Pontyclun Community Garden. Newport has its first Green Flag Community Awards with Maindee District and Lysaght Institute.
Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Hannah Blythyn said:
“Parks and green spaces play an important role in our communities, so it’s encouraging to see such a diverse range of sites in Wales receiving Green Flag Awards. Our parks and green spaces are a haven for wildlife and are vital to our own health and wellbeing. I’d like to congratulate all of the sites for providing excellent, year-round facilities and events for people in Wales.”
The Green Flag Award programme is delivered in Wales by environmental charity, Keep Wales Tidy, with support from Welsh Government. It is judged by green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including biodiversity, cleanliness, environmental management and community involvement.
Seven sites have achieved Green Heritage Site Accreditation this year, including Bryngarw Country Park in Bridgend which has the accreditation for the first time, Cathays Cemetery in Cardiff and The Great Orme in Conwy. This special award, endorsed by Cadw, recognises sites that are both historically significant and meet Green Flag criteria.
Lucy Prisk, Green Flag Coordinator at Keep Wales Tidy said:
“The Green Flag Award programme continues to go from strength to strength in Wales, thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of staff and volunteers across the country.
“We can’t underestimate how important high-quality parks and green spaces are to our communities, our health and wellbeing, nature and economy. We want to encourage everyone to explore their local area and make the most of the award-winning sites on their doorstep.”
A full list of award winners can be found on the Keep Wales Tidy website www.keepwalestidy.cymru
