Queen’s Park and Forest Road Greenbelt Gardeners retain Green Flag awards
Published: Fri 6th September, 2024
Mayor of Charnwood, Cllr Dr Julie Bradshaw MBE, attended the flag raising at Forest Road Greenbelt in Loughborough
Loughborough’s Queen’s Park and Forest Road Greenbelt Gardeners have both received prestigious Green Flag awards once again.
This is the 16th consecutive year Queen’s Park has achieved the Green Flag Award - the international standard of excellence for parks and green spaces.
The popular park in the town, managed by Charnwood Borough Council and its open spaces partner idverde, along with the help of volunteer group Friends of Queen’s Park, was first awarded a Green Flag in 2008.
The Forest Road Greenbelt, which is maintained by the Greenbelt Gardener volunteers, supported by the Council and idverde, retained its Community Green Flag award for the ninth year running.
Mayor of Charnwood, Cllr Dr Julie Bradshaw MBE, was in attendance for the official flag raising ceremony at Forest Road on Wednesday, 4 September.
Cllr Anne Gray, the Council’s lead member for open spaces, said: “Both of these awards are once again richly deserved, and I would like to sincerely thank everyone involved in helping to maintain these areas.
“That includes dedicated groups of volunteers who help us to look after these open spaces for the benefit and enjoyment of others. It’s great to see their hard work recognised in this year’s Green Flag awards.
“Our open spaces across the town remain a source of immense pride to us, and long may that continue.”
Pat Cook, Chair of the Greenbelt Gardener volunteers said: “The Forest Road Greenbelt has held a Green Flag Community Award since 2015 and we are delighted that the hard work and commitment from volunteers, idverde and the Council has once again been acknowledged.
“It was great that the Mayor was able to come along – as well as so many others - to join us for the raising of the flag.”
Lynda Wesson (pictured above, sixth from the left), Chair of the Friends of Queen’s Park volunteer group, said: “We are so proud that Queen’s Park has retained its Green Flag Award for another year.
“The park has looked wonderful once again this summer and is so well used by the public, which is credit to the excellent work done by everyone involved in maintaining it.”
Green Flag Awards are handed out each year to sites that meet the needs of the community, are well maintained, safe and provide people with the opportunity to lead healthy lifestyles.
The scheme is managed by Keep Britain Tidy, under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, setting the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Congratulating this year’s winners, Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “Prioritising parks and green spaces is vital for our future, so we are delighted to see that 2,227 sites have met the standards required for a Green Flag Award, reflecting the tireless work of those tasked with looking after these important national assets.
“We know beyond doubt that our local environment contributes to the wellbeing of individuals and communities, with our parks and green spaces recognised as areas where people can come together and be active. Research shows that time spent in green spaces can positively affect mental and physical health, quality of life and a sense of wellbeing.
“We believe the standards expected in the Green Flag Award should be a minimum for every park, and it is our ambition that by 2030 we increase the number of sites achieving Green Flag Award status even further so that people across the world, wherever they live, can access and enjoy safe, high-quality green space.”
For more information about the open spaces and parks in Charnwood, visit: www.charnwood.gov.uk/parksandopenspaces