GRAVEYARDS, crematoria, and parks have received the Green Flag Award, the standard mark for green spaces and parks.
Among the winners are many churchyards and non secular sites. In total, 2227 parks and green spaces have reached the usual to earn a Green Flag for 2024.
St John’s Wood Church Grounds, in London, has earned each the award and Green Heritage Site accreditation for its management. The accreditation is given to sites that take motion to conserve the heritage, and help visitors to know its historic significance. St John’s Wood Church Grounds is a disused graveyard which is now a public park, managed by Westminster City Council. It is the one nature reserve within the Borough of Westminster.
Of the Green Flag awards, seven have gone to faith sites which can be run by voluntary and community groups, including St Luke’s Church Grounds, Crosby, and Holy Cross, Woodchurch, on the Wirral. Both of those are taken care of by the PCC.
St Luke’s is an eco-church and has a garden linked to the Quiet Garden Movement, which is taken care of by volunteers.
The Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick has won its Green Flag award for Lions of the Great War site, an open space which incorporates a memorial to South Asian service personnel of all faiths from the Indian subcontinent, who fought for Britain within the Great War and other conflicts.
The Green Flag Award Scheme is run by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It sets a benchmark for the management of green spaces across the UK.
Any green space that’s freely accessible to the general public is eligible to enter for a Green Flag Award. Awards are given annually and winners must apply every year to renew their Green Flag Award status. To earn it, the spaces should be well maintained, protected and open to everyone.
The chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, Allison Ogden-Newton, said: “Prioritising parks and green spaces is important for our future; so we’re delighted to see that 2227 sites have met the standards required for a Green Flag Award, reflecting the tireless work of those tasked with taking care of these essential national assets.
“We know beyond doubt that our local environment contributes to the well-being of people and communities, with our parks and green spaces recognised as areas where people can come together and be energetic. Research shows that point spent in green spaces can positively affect mental and physical health, quality of life, and a way of well-being.
“We consider the standards expected within the Green Flag Award ought to be a minimum for each park, and it’s our ambition that by 2030 we increase the number of websites achieving Green Flag Award status even further so that individuals across England, wherever they live, can access and revel in protected, high-quality green space.”
