Chiswick's Parks Retain Green Flag Status
Keep Britain Tidy continues to award accreditation to local open spaces
Volunteers maintain these borders on Dukes Meadows. Picture: Dukes Meadows Trust
July 20, 2023
Parks and open spaces across Chiswick have retained their Green Flag Status this year.
Over a dozen locations in the area currently have the accreditation, which is given by the Keep Britain Tidy Trust. It is a quality mark for parks and green spaces and reflects the hard work of staff and volunteers. The winners for the current year were announced on Monday (17 July).
Keep Britian Today is licenced by the government to manage the scheme in the UK and overseas. Over 2,000 parks have Green Flag status which is obtained after ‘secret shoppers’ who are industry professionals inspect those applying for accreditation looking at both the open space itself and the owner’s management plan. Criteria that are used to grant a Green Flag include how welcoming and secure the place is, environmental management including the encouragement of biodiversity and the level of community involvement.
The Green Flag Award Scheme is owned by UK Government “Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government” who licence Keep Britain Tidy to deliver the Scheme in the UK and operate the Scheme overseas.
Green Flag Award winners this year in the Chiswick Area include Acton Green Common, Chiswick Back Common, Turnham Green, Southfield Recreation Ground, Gunnersbury Park, Chiswick House Gardens, Chiswick Business Park, Staveley Road Allotments, Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve, Gunnersbury Cemetery, Chiswick Old Cemetery and Dukes Meadows.
At the latter volunteers helped plant up a bed near a playground when the willow arch the landscape designer included started to struggle due to the dry weather. The Dukes Meadows Trust designed the bed, bought the plants and planted and continues to maintain them.
Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd MBE said, “I would like to congratulate everyone involved on achieving a Green Flag Award.
All our winners provide vital green space for communities, bring people together and create opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles. The staff and volunteers do so much to ensure these precious parks and green spaces maintain the high standards of the Green Flag Award and everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.”
Xanthe Arvanitakis, Director of Chiswick House & Gardens Trust said, “As well as the hard work of our dedicated staff and volunteers looking after our precious green spaces, I also want to take this opportunity to thank our community of visitors for respecting our natural habitats and taking their litter home with them. It all helps to keep the Gardens looking beautiful for everyone to enjoy every day!”
This page is sponsored by Rocks Lane who support community initiatives in Chiswick.
