The Green Flag Awards is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales. The objective of the Green Flag Awards is to encourage the provision of good quality public parks and green spaces that are managed in environmentally sustainable ways.
The Green Flag Award helps to create public recognition of good quality green spaces and in doing so aims to rebuild people’s confidence in them.
It was first launched in 1996 to recognise and reward the best green spaces in the country. The first awards were given in 1997 and, many years later; it continues to provide the benchmark against which our parks and green spaces are measured. It is also seen as a way of encouraging others to achieve high environmental standards, setting a benchmark of excellence in recreational green areas.
How are the flags awarded
Sites are awarded a flag based on a Field Assessment and review of their Management Plan. The criteria by which sites are judged are grouped under eight main headings that together make for a comprehensive definition of what a good green space might be, the below headings outline the standards that a Green Flag site must achieve and they set targets for improvement.
The headings define:
- How to create a sense that people are positively welcomed into a green space
- How best to ensure that the site is a safe and healthy environment
- What people can expect to find in the way of standards of cleanliness, facilities and maintenance
- How a green space can be managed in environmentally sensitive ways
- The value of conservation and care of historic heritage
- Ways of encouraging community involvement
- Methods of promoting or marketing a site
- How to reflect all the above in a coherent and accessible management plan, statement or strategy
For more information visit the Green Flag Award website
