How to win your park a Green Flag

Castle Park, High Woods Country Park and Colchester Cemetery and Crematorium scooped the national award

More than 170 parks and green spaces have celebrated winning a Green Flag award in the East of England – but what is it and how did they do it?

The first Green Flags were awarded in 1997 after decades of underfunding left historic city centre parks neglected, derelict and dangerous no-go areas.

A scheme was launched to bring people back into the parks and establish an agreed standard of good management.

Any green space freely accessible to the public is eligible to enter and a record-breaking 2,227 parks and green spaces reached the high standard this year.

Parks across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk have since raised their flags.

In the East of England 15 sites also received a Green Heritage Site Accreditation for the management of historic features, supported by Historic England.

Verulamium Park, Hertfordshire

The upkeep of the Roman ruins helped secure the Heritage site award

Four Green Flag awards were presented to St Albans City and District Council and its Verulamium Park was one of 130 sites in the country to achieve a Green Heritage Site Accreditation.

This award, supported by Historic England, was given for its excellent management of its ancient Roman features.

How are green spaces judged and maintained?

"Our Green Flag parks and cemetery have their own management plan which includes a commitment to uphold the scheme’s high standards all year round," said Helen Campbell, chair of the council's public realm committee.

"This plan is key to maintaining and improving the sites.

"We have a grounds maintenance contractor, a local company called John O’Conner, who provide a park ranger service and undertake all the grass cutting, litter pick-ups and other essential tasks."

The sites are assessed every two years by Green Flag judges. Between these visits an unannounced ‘mystery shopper’ will visit to ensure the site is deserving of a flag.

The council applies for the accreditation every year and the cost of most work is covered by its grounds maintenance contract.

Some works can be funded from other council budgets, contributions from property developers and from successful applications to external funding bodies.

Ms Campbell added: “The Green Flag Awards are an endorsement of all the hard work and dedication our staff and contractors put in to provide our residents with open spaces where they can meet up, exercise, walk the dog, play sport, picnic and have a wonderful time. It is a thrill to get such awards."

Riverside Park, Cambridgeshire

Huntingdonshire now has four Green Flags

In the Huntingdonshire district, St Neots Riverside Park won its first Green Flag Award with Priory Park receiving its eighth consecutive award and Hinchingbrooke Country Park and Paxton Pits Nature Reserve securing their seventh consecutive awards.

What changed in Riverside Park to make it flag worthy?

Several key improvements were made to Riverside Park which contributed to winning its first Green Flag Award.

These included enhanced landscaping, installation of new amenities, improved pathways and increased biodiversity efforts.

The combined efforts of the grounds maintenance, Open Spaces and Arb Service teams played a crucial role in these enhancements.

Simone Taylor, executive councillor for parks and countryside at Huntingdonshire District Council, said the award recognised the hours of hard work the council and volunteers put in.

"The Green Flags will raise the profile of our parks and hopefully get more using them," she said.

"The flag shows how the team have raised the standards over the years to be awarded a Green Flag many times and, of course, a brand-new Green Flag for St Neots Riverside Park."

Christchurch Park, Ipswich

Ipswich Borough Council received a trio of awards for its Bourne, Christchurch and Holywells parks.

Christchurch Park opened in 1895, making it the first public park to open in Ipswich.

The more than 33-hectare park was officially 're-opened' in May 2008, after a £4.5m restoration project, and achieved 17 Green Flag awards consecutively.

How has Christchurch Park achieved 17 flags in a row?

Parks teams worked to ensure the park was welcoming, well cared for and that it appealed to every visitor, but Ipswich Borough Council believes the people and volunteers at its heart have made the park stand out.

The Friends of Christchurch Park group played a vital role in preserving, protecting and improving it, so much so the council would like to encourage more residents to work on similar projects.

Lucy Trenchard, an Ipswich councillor, said: "The group has been a vital part in the park retaining the Green Flag for so many years and it’s credit to them and the residents who get involved that Christchurch continues to receive the recognition every year.

"Their volunteers are passionate about the park and work hard to organise regular activities such as their bird and bat walks, giving people a chance to learn more about the nature on their doorstep."

The council said it wanted to encourage residents who would like their local park to receive the award, to work with the council to set up a friends group.

Historic England said parks and other green heritage sites were critical to health and wellbeing, nature and the environment