2,216 parks and greenspaces across UK to fly Green Flag Award with pride

2,216 parks and greenspaces across UK to fly Green Flag Award with pride - Green Flag Award

A record number of parks and green spaces across the UK have reached the high standards required to receive a coveted Green Flag Award in 2023.

The scheme is celebrating as 2,216 parks – the largest number since the scheme began 27 years ago – are proudly preparing to raise their flags.

A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available here.

The Green Flag Award, the international quality mark for parks and green spaces, has seen successful submissions from local authorities and other land managers across the country for a range of sites, from world-famous city parks to small, local green spaces.

Four parks that received their first Green Flag Award when the scheme was launched in 1996 have flown it every year since. They are:

Cockington Country Park – Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust
Worden Park – South Ribble Borough Council
Queen’s Park – City of London
Highgate Wood – City of London

They are joined by parks and green spaces as diverse as:

Rainbow Gardens, managed by Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust in England
Chirk Station, Wrexham (the first station in the UK) in Wales
Zetland Park, Falkirk in Scotland
Mayfield Park, managed by Southampton City Council, in England

In addition, 135 of the winners have also received a Green Heritage Site Accreditation for the management of historic features, supported in England by Historic England. These include:

Rivington Terrace Gardens managed by Rivington Heritage Trust with Groundwork
St James’s Park and Green Park managed by The Royal Parks

To achieve Green Heritage Site Accreditation, winners have to understand and take action to conserve the heritage value of their site. They also need to help people to understand and enjoy its unique history, from nationally important parks to local green spaces that help tell the story of places and communities.