An incredible 11 parks and green spaces in Trafford are taking home a Green Flag Award.
These parks across Trafford have been recognised by the Green Flag Award Scheme as the very best in the world. The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the United Kingdom and around the world.
The 11 award winning parks are Davyhulme Park, Denzell Gardens, Flixton Gardens, Hullard Park, John Leigh Park, Lostock Park, Victoria Park, Walkden Gardens, Walton Park, Woodheys Park and Worthington Park.
Trafford Green Flag Award Parks are managed by the One Trafford green space and ground maintenance teams, with the support of volunteer Friends of Parks groups. The teams have been working together to ensure the Green Flag standards are met and are consistent throughout the year.
Trafford’s Green Flag parks have met the specific set of criteria, achieving a high standard. Criteria includes important features such as aesthetics of the park, horticulture and biodiversity. Over the last few years, One Trafford have been working with Friends of Parks groups to create better habitats for pollinators and insects in a number of Green Flag parks; this will help to increase biodiversity within green spaces. Thousands of perennial bulbs such as native daffodils, crocus and snowdrops have been planted at John Leigh Park, Victoria Park, Walton Parks and Worthington Park. Similarly, some parks now have wildflower meadows and beds, which are helping to provide stepping-stones of habitats across the borough.
The parks are among 2,127 UK parks and green spaces that will receive a Green Flag Award for 2020. The award, accompanied by the famous flag, is a mark of a quality park or green space.
Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Liz Patel said:
“We are so incredibly proud to be celebrating achieving 11 Green Flag Awards for the third year in a row. I would like to say a big thank you to our green space, ground maintenance and dedicated Friends of Parks volunteers who have been working hard to keep Trafford’s parks to a high standard.
Research carried out by YouGov for Keep Britain Tidy over the summer shows just how important parks are to our residents. Having access to a quality park or green space helps improve people’s mental health with most park users saying they felt less stressed and more positive in general after a visit to the park. That’s why it’s important that our parks are well managed and recognised for the important role they play in our lives. We’re delighted to be able to provide 11 of the very best parks in the world to residents here in Trafford.”
Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said:
“As Green Flag Award celebrates 25 years of raising the standard, Keep Britain Tidy is delighted to be the custodian of a scheme that does so much to ensure our parks and green spaces go from strength to strength.
At a time when parks have been at the heart of every community across the country it is perhaps not surprising that 95% of the public thinks that their local parks and green spaces need to be protected. This is why the Green Flag Award is so important. It ensures that parks and green spaces are managed to the highest standards and are safe and accessible for everyone to enjoy and we look forward to the next 25 years.”
If you would like to visit your local Green Flag park, please visit www.trafford.gov.uk/GreenFlagParks.
Posted on Wednesday 27th October 2021