VICTORIA Park is the only park in the borough to have been awarded Green Flag status.

The Green Flag Award recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

This year, a record-breaking 1,970 green spaces across the UK have been awarded a Green Flag Award, 83 more than in 2018 against the backdrop of funding cuts for parks

Victoria Park has been awarded the gong again.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Knowsley, spaces awarded the Green Flag include Eaton Street Recreation Ground in Prescot; Fox’s Bank Lane Cemetery and Memorial Gardens, Whiston and St Mary’s Cemetery in Prescot.

As the winners were announced, Keep Britain Tidy is urging people to spend 20 minutes a day in a park or green space, which is said to be proven to boost mental health withy seven in ten of us not doing it.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “We have awarded more Green Flags to parks and green spaces this year than ever before, which means beautiful, well-managed and peaceful spaces are accessible to more people than ever. But our message is use it or lose it. Not only does visiting your local park boost your mental health but your visit supports the Herculean effort made by local authorities to provide world-class parks and that has never been harder to do.”

“With around 27,000 parks and greenspaces across England alone Green Flag standard parks are still the exception but the number of awards given out this year is a testament to the hard work and innovation displayed by many local authorities.

“Indeed, Keep Britain Tidy wants to see many more meet the Green Flag Award standards creating a national network of quality parks and green spaces on people’s doorsteps, inspiring more of us to get our ‘20 a day’.

“If you want to boost your wellbeing even more, you could take it one step further and get involved in your local park by joining its friends’ group. Being part of a community goal, while spending time outside, can give a real sense of pride and positivity. We’ve seen it with many of our volunteer groups over the years.”