Telford and Wrekin celebrate Green Flag Award hat-trick

Dawley Park and Hartshill Park join Telford Town Park among the Green Flag Award winning parks for 2020.

All three parks will be raising their Green Flags with pride today. Southwater will also be lit up green from tonight until Sunday to celebrate the borough’s success and say ‘thank you’ to the park staff, volunteers and judges for all their hard work. 

Other Green Flag Shropshire parks include The Mere at Ellesmere, Stanmore Country Park and Severn Valley Country Park.

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 their management across the United Kingdom and around the world.

Cllr Carolyn Healy, Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet member for parks, said: “This is wonderful news. Like the rest of the country, our parks and green spaces have been a lifeline for so many people this year. We have all used them to relax, meet friends and exercise. 

“More visitors brings more challenges for those who help look after our parks, so to achieve the standards demanded by the Green Flag Award for not one, but three parks, is a fantastic achievement.”

Paul Slack, idverde operations director, added: “This is fantastic news and a significant achievement for the borough of Telford and Wrekin and brings some positive news during difficult times. I am extremely proud of the local idverde team who have put in the effort working alongside council officers and others to achieve the required grade and look forward to seeing the new flags flying high.”

Commenting on Telford and Wrekin’s success, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “It is testament to the incredible dedication and hard work of parks staff and volunteers that, despite the challenges that went along with record numbers of visitors, Dawley Park, Hartshill Park and Telford Town Park have achieved the highest international standards.”