Southend-on-Sea City Council’s parks team is celebrating once again, as nine of the city’s parks have achieved national Green Flag Awards due to their hard work and dedication.
Southend received the third highest number of Green Flag Awards in the East of England, following Watford Borough Council and Chelmsford City Council. The Green Flags will be proudly displayed at the following Southend parks:
- Belfairs Park and Nature Reserve
- Chalkwell Park
- Leigh Library Gardens
- Priory Park Southend
- Shoebury Common North
- Shoebury Park
- Southchurch Hall Gardens
- Southchurch Park
- Sutton Road Cemetery and Southend Crematorium
Outside of the council's park's team, a Green Flag Award was also awarded to Garon Park CIC and two Green Flag Community Awards for TrustLinks in Shoeburyness and Westcliff.
The council is grateful to community groups such as Southchurch Hall Inspirational Parkers (SHIP) and visitors for their support in helping maintain Southend's parks by disposing of litter properly and caring for park facilities and equipment. The council is also grateful to partners such as Essex Wildlife Trust who we work closely with at Belfairs Park and Nature Reserve and other open spaces across the city.
Councillor Lydia Hyde, cabinet member for climate, environment, and waste, said: "I am incredibly proud of our parks team for their passion, hard work, and dedication in ensuring our city continues to wave its nine Green Flags year after year.
"This achievement is especially poignant as two key team members are still recovering at home following a road collision earlier this year. The community’s support has been fantastic, and everyone has come together to maintain our beautiful parks.
"Our city offers a wonderful selection of parks and open spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy. The Green Flag Awards highlight the quality of these spaces, which attract millions of visitors to Southend-on-Sea each year."
Green Flag Awards recognise well-maintained parks and green spaces across the country. Southend's frequent appearances in these awards showcase the spectacular green spaces available to residents and visitors throughout the year.
Managed by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Green Flag Award scheme sets the benchmark for well-managed green spaces across the UK and worldwide.
The full list of Green Flag Award winners is available online.