Over 2,000 Green Flag Awards announced

If the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s how much we value our local parks and green spaces.

All year round, an army of unsung dedicated parks staff and volunteers look after these treasured spaces, including famous landmarks such as the White Cliffs of Dover, the London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Salford’s MediaCityUK.

These unsung heroes have once again set the high standard for quality park and green space management at the 2020 Green Flag Awards, the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

From world-famous London parks to small community spaces, canals to cemeteries, this year, 2,061 places have achieved the Green Flag Award, having been assessed by more than 1,000 volunteer judges. Among the winners are Sunderland City Council’s Mowbray Park and Jubilee Park managed by BALI Registered DSO member Canary Wharf Management. BALI Registered Contractor John O'Conner Grounds Maintenance confirmed to BALI that it manages 21 Green Flag award-winning sites.

A spokesperson from John O'Conner commented:

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, more and more of us are using our local green spaces and it makes us really proud that our teams have been recognised for their hard work.

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

In addition, 109 of the winners have also achieved the much-coveted Green Heritage Site Accreditation for the management of their historic features. The Accreditation is supported by Historic England.

A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces are available here. Congratulations to all the winners, in particular those BALI members, that continue to work tirelessly to keep our parks and green spaces clean, tidy and well maintained.