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Green flags for three of Borough’s open spaces

Valentines Park has been awarded a Green Flag bringing the total number of parks in the Borough with the prestigious quality award up to three.

Elmhurst Gardens and Hainault Forest Country Park retained their Green Flags for a second year in a row, the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales.

The parks went through a rigorous judging process that assessed a number of areas including safety and security, cleanliness, management of the facility and signage and access.

Recent improvements at Valentines Park have included a new outdoor gym at the park as well as refurbished tennis courts and improvements to park furniture and signage.

The tennis courts at Elmhurst Gardens have also been refurbished and the Friends of Elmhurst Garden helped the Council with a new sustainable planting scheme at the park.  New natural play areas have also been installed at Valentines Park and Elmhurst Gardens.

Hainault Forest Country Park achieved its first Green Flag in 2006.  A community wildlife garden is currently being developed at the park with help from volunteers and the park’s friends group.  Improvements have also been made to the picnic and seating facilities and grass cutting is now carried out in house, leaving areas for grassland habitats and providing hay for farm animals.

Redbridge Council nominated a number of parks for the award this year and worked closely with friends of groups in each park to help prepare for the judging process to help improve the parks and open spaces in the Borough.

The Green Flag Award is run by Keep Britain Tidy alongside environmental charity GreenSpace and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV). The scheme began in 1996 as a means of recognising and rewarding the best green spaces in the country.  The initiative encourages others to achieve the same high environmental standards, creating a benchmark of excellence in recreational green areas.

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