Blackhill and Consett Park has scooped a prestigious Green Heritage Award – and that’s in addition to being awarded a Green Flag.
Green Flags are awards – given to parks and open spaces – that are vaguely equivalent to the Blue Flags handed out to top-notch beaches.
A total of 12 Durham County Council sites – including parks, cemeteries and the grounds of crematoria – have been awarded the sought-after Green Flags this year.
The flags are handed out by the charity Keep Britain Tidy, under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
It’s the third-year-running that Durham County Council has received Green Flags for all of the 12 sites. Durham County Council has more Green Flag sites than any other council in the north east and more Green Flags for its cemeteries and crematoria than any other council in Britain.
In addition to being awarded a Green Flag, Blackhill and Consett Park has also received a Green Heritage Award for the second year-in-a-row.
The Green Heritage Award is given to spaces that not only achieve Green Flag standards but also demonstrate that they can understand, identify, manage and promote the unique aspects of their heritage.
The full list of Durham County Council’s open spaces awarded Green Flags is as follows:
- Blackhill and Consett Park
- Annfield Plain Park
- Castleside Cemetery
- Durham Crematorium and Woodland Cemetery
- Hardwick Park, Sedgefield
- Moorside Cemetery
- Mountsett Crematorium
- Riverside Park, Chester-le-Street
- Ropery Lane Cemetery, Chester-le-Street
- Sacriston Cemetery
- Town Recreation Park, Bishop Auckland
- Wharton Park, Durham City
The Green Flag programme began in 1996. Judges consider factors such as safety and security, maintenance, conservation, and how well the space serves the local community. The spaces should also be welcoming and should help meet the health needs of local people.
Durham County Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships, Cllr Brian Stephens, said, “To achieve 12 Green flags for a third consecutive year is a fantastic achievement and we are delighted Keep Britain Tidy continues to recognise our excellent standards.”
“Each flag awarded honours the volunteers who work in partnership with us to maintain our parks and open spaces in excellent condition.”
To learn more about County Durham’s parks and open spaces, please go to http://www.durham.gov.uk/parks.