Parks and green spaces in Surrey and East Hampshire awarded Green Flag status
It is the benchmark for quality parks around the world
Farnham Park, Stoke Park in Guildford and Fleet Pond are among several parks and green spaces in our area awarded a Green Flag award for 2021.
The environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy announced a total of 35 for Surrey and East Hampshire.
Others include the Castle Grounds in Guildford, Aldershot Military Cemetery and Gostrey Meadow in Farnham.
They are among more than two thousand across the country that have been given the accolade.
The scheme is celebrating 25 years as the international quality mark for parks.
Announcing the awards, Keep Britain Tidy said it research carried out by YouGov over the summer has shown just how important parks are to the British public.
The survey showed that having access to a quality park or green space helped improve people’s mental health with almost six in ten (59%) saying they felt less stressed when using the park and 55% saying they felt more positive in general.
The survey also showed more than half of people (53%) visit a park or green space at least once a week and more than nine in ten (93%) think that parks and green spaces are important to their local community.
Commenting on the announcement of this year’s winners, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “As the 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.”
The scheme, managed by 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 recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available here.