Published: Tuesday, 26th July 2022
Today (26 July) Cannock Chase Council is celebrating after receiving no less than six Green Flag Awards: for Cannock Park, Ravenhill Park, Elmore Park, Hednesford Park, Castle Ring Green Heritage Site, and Stile Cop Cemetery.
They are among 2,208 winners across the UK in this year’s Green Flag Awards. The award is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
After two years that have seen parks and green spaces play a vital role for people through lockdowns as a place to relax, exercise and meet friends and family safely, the news that our parks and open spaces have achieved the Green Flag Award, is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that make the green spaces a place that everyone can enjoy.
Castle Ring has also achieved the Green Heritage Site Accreditation, supported by Historic England, for the management of its historic features.
Councillor Adrienne Fitzgerald, Portfolio Leader for Housing, Heritage, and Leisure said: “I am delighted that our parks and open spaces have retained the Green Flag Award. It is important that our communities have parks and green spaces that they can enjoy. I would like to thank all of the volunteers, parks and grounds maintenance and cemetery staff for their continued hard work to achieve a prestigious Green Flag Award for another year running.”
Commenting on the news, Keep Britain Tidy’s Accreditation Manager Paul Todd said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making our parks and open spaces worthy of a Green Flag Award.
“These parks are vital green spaces for the community in Cannock Chase District. This award is testament to all the hard work of staff and volunteers, who do so much to ensure that they maintain the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.”
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Photograph:
At Hednesford Park holding a Green Flag Award shortly before the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay passed through the town last Saturday are: John Wolfie Jones, volunteer with the Friends of Hednesford Park, Councillor Martyn Buttery, Chairman of Cannock Chase Council, Andy Williams, Park Keeper, and Jorgie Devey, a young volunteer from the Friends of Hednesford Park.
Note to editors:
The Green Flag Award Scheme (http://greenflagaward.org/) is run by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, Keep Wales Tidy and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.
Keep Britain Tidy is a leading environmental charity. It sets the standard for the management of parks and beaches, inspires people to be litter-free, to waste less and live more sustainably. It runs campaigns and programmes including the Great British Spring Clean, Eco-Schools, Love Parks, Eco-Schools, the Green Flag Award for parks and green spaces and the Blue Flag/ Seaside Awards for beaches. To find out more about Keep Britain Tidy, its campaigns and programmes visit www.keepbritaintidy.org.
Any green space that is freely accessible to the public is eligible to enter for a Green Flag Award. Awards are given on an annual basis and winners must apply each year to renew their Green Flag Award status. A Green Flag Community Award recognises quality sites managed by voluntary and community groups. Green Heritage Site Accreditation is judged on the treatment of the site’s historic features and the standard of conservation.