Park fans bid for Green Flag Award status
20 January 2010
An Oxford park is to be put forward for prestigious Green Flag Award® status.
Supporters of Bury Knowle Park in Oxford have encouraged Oxford City Council to put the park forward for a Green Flag Award®, ensuring that the green space is recognized as being welcoming, safe and clean.
The Friends of Bury Knowle Park Group was formed in June and already has more than 60 members. Together the group has encouraged the Council’s park department to develop a management plan which will accompany the Green Flag Award® application. Oxford Council will this week consider both the application and also a request for additional funding towards a range of improvements in the park including car park repairs, picnic benches and better facilities for teenagers.
Chairperson of the Friends of Group, Rosemary Belton is excited at the prospect of the park achieving a Green Flag Award®. “The park had been allowed to sort of slide a bit and I think this is a real opportunity to perk it up and make it a facility for everybody in the area. A lot of people live in that part of town and it has got the potential to be something great. Hopefully going for green flag status will get some things moving.”
Paul Todd, Manager of the Green Flag Award® Scheme, also supports the application. “This is a fantastic example of how a Friends of Group can really make a difference to a park, working with the park manager and staff to transform it into a safe, secure place that has facilities for all the community. I hope Bury Knowle Park is successful with its application.”
The Green Flag Award® Scheme was set up to recognize and reward the best parks and green spaces around the country with over 1000 awards handed out in 2009/2010. For further information about the Green Flag Award® Scheme, please click here
To find out if your local Green Flag Award® park/green space has a ‘Friends of’ scheme and learn how you can get involved then please click here.
Oxford currently boasts three Green Flag Awards for Hinksey Park, Florence Park and Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park.