Parks and green space in deprived areas and community-managed schemes win Green Flag Awards

A record number of parks and green spaces have been awarded a prestigious Green Flag Award in 2008. The Civic Trust announced  that 743 sites will be flying the distinctive Green Flag, including two winners in the Netherlands. The winners will receive their flags at a ceremony in Liverpool at the end of July.

This year’s winners will be announced from Green Flag Award-winning Bellingham Green, in an area of Lewisham highlighted by government as a transformed area of regeneration, demonstrating how residents working together with public agencies can transform deprived neighbourhoods. The Green is vibrant, lively and has significantly improved the livelihood and well-being of the local community.

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.