Record number of parks given top award

Dore and Totley Operatic Society performing The Mikado in Sheffield's Winter Gardens - one of 79 Green Flag award winners

nearly 80 parks and green spaces in the region have been recognised as among some of the best in the country.

Green Flag Awards have gone to 79 sites - ranging from Sheffield’s Winter Gardens, one of only two indoor award winners in the country, to two University campuses at York and Bradford.

It comes as a record number of green spaces in the UK have been given the award this year, with 1,797 meeting the high standard for a good quality park.

Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds and Pannett Park in Whitby also feature, as does Rainbow Community Garden on north Hull estate, which judges decribed as a “very special” place. A new recipient is Sandall Park, Doncaster, also known as the Boating Lake. Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said she was delighted so many were meeting the high standards demanded by the award. But she added: “We cannot be complacent. We know that budgets are being squeezed in local authorities across the country and we must be vigilant to ensure that everyone has access to the very best parks and green spaces.”

The awards have been announced in Love Parks Week which takes place this week and encourages people to visit and enjoy their local parks and green spaces. Hull’s Guildhall is playing host to Northern award winners today.