A LEIGH park has gained national recognition for its high standards.
Pennington Hall Park, on St Helens Road, has been awarded the Green Flag Award by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, which recognises parks and green spaces that meet rigorous standards for safety, accessibility, environmental management and community engagement.
The award scheme, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, is regarded as the international benchmark for well-managed parks. This year, 292 parks and green spaces across the North West achieved Green Flag status.
The announcement comes as Keep Britain Tidy warns of significant inequalities in access to high-quality green spaces across the UK.
Research commissioned by the charity found stark differences in how people view their local parks depending on where they live. A YouGov survey of more than 2,000 UK adults found that just 27% of people living in the country's most deprived areas described their local park as "safe", compared with 46% in the least deprived areas.
Paul Todd MBE, Green Flag Award Manager at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Parks are essential public spaces that support our wellbeing, our communities and our economy. Yet for millions of people, particularly in the most deprived areas, local parks simply don’t feel safe or welcoming.
“In an age of rising concern about community cohesion, young people’s wellbeing and time spent online, safe local parks are becoming more important than ever. Yet the communities who need them the most are sadly the least likely to have them.
“With public services under pressure, investing in parks is not a luxury, it’s a practical, preventative solution and one of the most visible ways councils can improve people’s quality of life.
“Every pound invested in a park, particularly in a deprived community, delivers real returns - improving wellbeing, bringing communities together, reducing loneliness, giving people somewhere safe and free to spend time and, ultimately, reducing pressure on public services like the NHS.
“Today’s Green Flag Award winners show what can be achieved when parks are properly supported and managed. As we celebrate 30 years of the Green Flag Award, we want every community to have access to green spaces that are safe, welcoming and maintained to the highest standards.”
Keep Britain Tidy is calling on local authorities to prioritise investment in parks in areas of greatest deprivation and to use the Green Flag Award as a benchmark for improving the quality of green spaces nationwide.
Share