Dorchester's Borough Gardens celebrates Green Flag Award
It's the 14th year in a row Borough Gardens has been recognised by the scheme
The Team at Dorchester Town Council are celebrating again this year with confirmation that, for the 14th year in a row, the beautiful Borough Gardens in Dorchester has been recognised by the Green Flag Award Scheme as one of the very best, joining parks and green spaces as diverse as the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Woodhouse Park in Peterlee and Chiswick Old Cemetery in London.
After on site assessment against 27 categories and review of the sites’ new management plan the gardens have obtained a pass in in the highest possible score category.
Mayor Gareth Jones said:
“We are all aware of how delightful the gardens are, and that the staff there deliver such a glorious display, but to hear the gardens have been awarded a Green Flag and in the highest possible score band is fantastic.
"The team have clearly worked hard to ensure the gardens excelled in all eight judging categories such as being a welcoming safe & healthy place, its facilities, the standard of maintenance, environment & biodiversity, and catering for a range of users. To get top marks is, I think, a very deserved recognition of their efforts.
"I would like to thank the team and encourage everyone living in and visiting Dorchester to come and enjoy the gardens throughout the year.”
Borough Gardens joins 2127 parks and green spaces that will today receive the prestigious Green Flag Award– the mark of a quality park or green space. This international award is also celebrating as it reaches its 25th year. It is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.
Cllr Fiona Kent-Ledger, Chair of the Management Committee at Dorchester Town Council said
“It is fantastic news that the work put in by all the outdoor services team to create and maintain Dorchester’s Borough Gardens has been recognised again with this award. The Green Flag designation lets people know that the gardens meet a high standard which is applied across the country and internationally too. Both residents and visitors can be assured that the gardens will be a lovely location to visit. The Town council has invested time and resources into further improvements in the gardens such as the new Hardy’s Rose Garden and will continue to do so. I’m also pleased to be able to say that Management committee recently agreed for the replacement of the existing outdoor gym equipment with new items which I know will be very popular with users.”
Commenting on the news that Borough Gardens has achieved the Green Flag Award standard, Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said:
“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making Borough Gardens worthy of a Green Flag Award.”
“To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure that Borough Gardens has high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and is a place that supports people to live healthy lives.”
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
The Borough Gardens are open from 07.30 to dusk every day, on-site there are, a refreshment Kiosk open from 11.30, a large play area with water spouts, outdoor table tennis, exercise equipment, picnic tables, open grass areas, bright flower beds, mature trees offering cool shade and classical garden features such as the Fountain, Gardens Clock and an ornate Bandstand around which many of the action-packed events held in the gardens are focussed.