16 July 2019
Today the Green Flag Award scheme reached a record breaking 2,096 accredited parks and green spaces across 14 countries and spanning 4 continents - more than any other parks accreditation scheme in the world.
126 of these are accredited parks and green spaces from outside the UK, marking a huge 25% increase as the Award establishes a worldwide reputation.
New Northern Hemisphere winners were today added from Belgium, Finland, Spain and Republic of Ireland, whilst several Southern Hemisphere countries such as Australia and New Zealand have current winners that are judged for their Summer season and announced later in the year.
Originating in England in 1996, the growth seen since the scheme went international 10 years ago, is testament to its success across the UK, where the scheme maintains a strong reputation as the recognised standard for well managed parks and green spaces.
Parque La Mexicana, Santa Fe, Mexico City
Two new countries have joined the scheme so far in 2019 -
Mexico won 2 Green Flag Awards at Parque Fundidora in Monterrey and Parque La Mexicana in Santa Fe.
And in Portugal the Northern city of Porto also demonstrated their commitment to maintaining high quality public spaces with 3x straight wins including Jardim Botânico do Porto, Jardim do Passeio Alegre and the 83 hectare Parque da Cidade - the largest urban park in the country.
Parque da Cidade, Porto
Carl McClean, International Development Manager for the Green Flag Award said:
"It's a fantastic year for the Green Flag Award, and that means it's also a fantastic year for visitors to parks and green spaces. The Award continues to ensure that these much loved places meet an internationally recognised standard of good maintenance and sound management and are recognised for the benefits they bring to the people that use them - making our towns and cities around the world happier, healthier and greener.
Congratulations to all of our winners around the world!"
The Green Flag Award is managed under licence from the UK Government by Keep Britain Tidy, and is delivered by partner organisations in other countries around the world. In the Republic of Ireland, where An Taisce - The National Trust for Ireland operate the scheme, the Award has gone from strength to strength under their stewardship with major organisations like the Irish Office for Public Works playing a key role by accrediting many of their public parks and green spaces with new Awards every year.
The Northern Hemisphere increases in Belgium, Finland, Mexico and Spain are a result of new partnerships in those countries as Keep Britain Tidy works closely with GoodPlanet Belgium, The Finnish Association of Landscape Industries, The Mexican Association of Parks and Recreation and The Spanish Association of Parks and Public Gardens.
Full statistics for the Award in 2019 to date can be found on the website map 'Award Winners'
To find out more, or apply for an Award, whichever country you are based in, visit:
www.greenflagaward.org
If you know of a park or a country not yet involved in the Green Flag Award that might be interested, get in touch with the Green Flag Award team: [email protected]
In 2019 so far countries engaged in scheme include:
| Country | Green Flag Awards |
| Australia | 7 |
| Belgium | 5 |
| Finland | 5 |
| Germany | 2 |
| Mexico | 2 |
| The Netherlands | 5 |
| New Zealand | 26 |
| Portugal | 3 |
| Republic of Ireland | 60 |
| Spain | 4 |
| Sweden | 1 |
| Turkey | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 5 |
| United Kingdom | 1970 |
