The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark for best practice across the UK. This year, 2,227 parks and green spaces have reached the high standard required to receive a Green Flag Award.
Councillor Sarah Hopewell, Executive Member for Wellbeing at East Herts Council, said:"It’s fantastic to see that three of our well-loved and popular East Herts parks and green spaces have been recognised nationally. They provide places where people can come together and be active, contributing to individual and community well-being. These Green Flags rightly recognise the outstanding efforts made by our park professionals and community groups and everyone involved should feel extremely proud.”
Castle Park in Bishop’s Stortford has recently undergone significant re-development including:
• new footpaths and bridge links over the River Stort
• wildlife habitat improvements
• new planting
• a new park café
• new public toilets including a Changing Places facility
• improved access to the Waytemore Castle mound
• a skate park
• Lawn Tennis Association accredited tennis courts
Friends of Castle Park, an enthusiastic group of local volunteers, are involved in a wide range of activities to support wildlife and conservation across the park. Residents interested in getting involved can contact the Friends via their website.
Volunteers from Friends of Southern Country Park have played a crucial role in ensuring that the popular Bishop’s Stortford green space has retained its Green Flag since 2008. The Friends meet monthly and carry out tasks ranging from counting butterflies and the management of hedges, trees and undergrowth, through to installing wooden steps and fences. Residents interested in volunteering at Southern Country Park and other parks in East Herts (Pishiobury Park in Sawbridgeworth and Hartham Common in Hertford) should visit the council’s website.
The Ridgeway in Hertford has had Green Flag status since 2009. The upper area of the park is a more formal urban recreation space with a multi-use games area (MUGA),
children's play area, ornamental shrub planting and an open grass area ideal for a variety of recreation activities and events. The lower section, referred to as The Dell, is much more informal with a style of play equipment that reflects this, incorporated into the natural landscape.
