Thirteen Northumberland parks have been awarded prestigious Green Flag Awards - the most the council has received.
The awards, announced by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognises them as some of the very best in the country.
Northumberland’s winning green spaces are: Alexandra Park (Cramlington), Astley Park (Seaton Delaval), Bolam Lake Country Park, Carlisle Park (Morpeth), Castle Vale Park and Coronation Park (Berwick), Doctor Pit Park (Bedlington), Druridge Bay Country Park, Eastwoods Park, (Prudhoe) Flagstaff Park (Berwick), Hexham Parks, Hirst Park (Ashington), Plessey Woods Country Park, Ridley Park (Blyth).
The Green Flag Award is a prestigious benchmark of quality for a park or green space. This international award, now celebrating its 28th year, is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.
Northumberland County Councillor Colin Horncastle, cabinet member for Looking After our Environment said: “Our local parks and green spaces are a fantastic asset to our communities and act as a hub for wellbeing and environmental stewardship.
“We invest in and work very hard to continually improve our parks and we are delighted to have retained the Green Flag status and increased the number of parks year upon year, with parks that have such status increasing from 12 to 13, with Flagstaff Park in Berwick also now securing the accolade this year.
“Each Green Flag Award is a testament to the dedication and hard work that has been put in by our residents and local volunteers and our own staff, towards maintaining the parks to very high standards.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in Northumberland’s parks on achieving a Green Flag Award.
“Northumberland’s parks are a vital green space for communities to socialise, enjoy nature, for children to play safely and it provides important opportunities for park users to improve their physical and mental health.
We know that staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that it maintains the high standards of the Green Flag Award, everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.