Green Flag recognition for borough parks and open spaces

Mid-East Antrim Borough Council receiving their Green Flags. Includes Mayor of MEA Cllr Peter Johnston, Cllr Marc Collins, Paul Mawhinney (Parks Manager), Jackie Waide (Parks Supervisor), Paul Crozier (Parks Operative), with parks volunteers Phil Allen, Irene Hunter and Joan Thompson.

Carnfunnock Country Park, Greenland Cemetery and Eden Allotment Gardens have won 2020/21 awards.

First launched in 1996 to recognise and reward the best green spaces in the country, The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the UK.

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the environmental charity that runs the scheme in Northern Ireland, revealed an ever growing and diverse number of free to enjoy places that have been awarded a prestigious Green Flag Award this year.

Dr Ian Humphreys, Chief Executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful said: “Northern Ireland’s parks and open spaces play a hugely important role in supporting our local communities, both in terms of providing recreational space but also for supporting health and wellbeing.

“This has been highlighted now more than ever as our parks and open spaces provided a haven to many during the difficult lockdown period. It is fantastic to see such a high number of sites in Northern Ireland meeting the international standard for excellence.”

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful also celebrates The Green Flag Community Award, which recognises sites managed and maintained by loyal volunteers working at a local level.

This year, a site in Mid & East Antrim - Shellinghill Park and Millennium Path received its first Green Flag Community Award alongside Ballyeaston Church Ruin, Rathfern Activity Centre, Sentry Hill Community Garden and Toome Linear Park.

Parks and open spaces wishing to achieve Green Flag status must have a site management plan in place and be able to demonstrate they comply with a range of strict criteria including horticultural standards, cleanliness, environmental management, biodiversity, community involvement and safety standards.

The Awards are judged annually by a panel of experts, who volunteer their time to assess the management plans and the applicant sites through a rigorous judging process.

Seven sites in the province received a Green Flag Heritage Award recognising the parks and open spaces which celebrate and promote the elements of their heritage that make them unique. These were - Antrim Castle Gardens Brooke Park, Belfast Botanic Gardens, Queen’s University Belfast, the Stormont Estate, Sentry Hill Historic House and Visitor Centre and Warrenpoint Municiple Park.