743 parks and green spaces are now flying the flag - should yours be one of them?
The Green Flag Award Scheme is the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales.
From country parks to cemeteries, and nature reserves to playgrounds, 65% of all local authorities now have one or more award winning sites. A Green Flag Award can bring a range of benefits, from generating funding, reducing crime and bringing the community together.
Sites must be freely accessible to the public and have a site specific management plan. Sites are judged against eight criteria:
The first stage of the application round for 2009/10 is now open. As in previous years, the application process will take place in two stages. The first stage application form should be submitted by 1st December 2008 (Green Pennant Award applicants click here), indicating all the sites you wish to submit.
In December, you will be sent details on how to submit the second stage information (including your management plans and photographs). You will be required to submit this information in January with the final closing date being 31st January 2009.
If you are new to the scheme, or like many other local authorities you use the Green Flag Award criteria to help manage your parks and green spaces, there is a simple self assessment guide. Used in conjunction with Raising the standard (the manual for the scheme) and ideally a judge, the guide can be used by prospective applicants to become familiar with the criteria and for existing applicants to benchmark the quality of many or all your sites. Further details and the free guide are available here.
East Midlands (56)Eastern (55)Greater London (151)North East (42)North West (196)South East (75)South West (52)West Midlands (42)Yorkshire & Humberside (45)Wales (19)Scotland (5)Northern Ireland (3)Republic of Ireland (1)Netherlands (2)Green Heritage Site Winners (42)Green Pennant Award Winners (73)Special Awards for Innovation Winners (7)
