Fun in the Sun - Head to the park for the last days of summer
11 September 2009
With temperatures set to reach over 20 degrees this weekend and continuing into next week, why not make the most of the last few days of summer and visit your local Green Flag Award park?
There are over 1000 Green Flag Award parks and green spaces around the country and each of them provide a range of facilities for people of all ages.
There are numerous children’s activities from paddling pools to skate parks; many parks have live music performances planned in September from brass bands to jazz events; and for the more energetic, it’s an opportunity to keep the fitness levels up by using the many outdoor sports facilities on offer. Alternatively, why not just pack up a picnic blanket and invite friends or family for an outdoor picnic or barbecue and create your own fun.
Paul Todd from Keep Britain Tidy said, “I would encourage everyone to get down to their nearest Green Flag Award park this weekend and sample the delights that are on offer. The options are endless and, with autumn just around the corner, this could be the last chance to make the most of the summer sunshine.”
Some of the more unusual activities on offer in the country’s parks and green spaces over the coming weeks include:
• Creating pavement art at Samphire Hoe in Bournemouth;
• The Giant’s Garden in The Rising Sun Country Park in Tyneside provides a thoughtfully managed outdoor natural space for early-years play;
• Explore the variety of insects and plants at The Jungle Experience at Manor Heath Park in the centre of Halifax;
• Get lost for the day in the interactive maze at Bramcote Hills Park in Nottingham.
• In London’s Holland Park you can challenge your partner to a game of outdoor chess or get continental and play a game of Petanque on the gravel courts in Workman Gardens in the West Midlands.
• Or why not check out the life-size replica of a Woolly Mammoth that sits at the top of a hill in Watermead Country Park in Leicester.
To find out more information about what’s happening in your local Green Flag park, go to the Green Flag website which is www.greenflagaward.org
The Green Flag Award is the national standard for parks and green spaces and this year over 1000 parks achieved the award. Keep Britain Tidy runs the Green Flag Award in partnership with BTCV and GreenSpace.
Did you know?
• The North West is the region of the country with the most Green Flags with 225 in total.
• Greater London currently has 191 Green Flag winners.
• Green Flags aren’t only awarded to parks – any freely accessible green space may apply including cemeteries, nature reserves and allotments.
• Keep Britain Tidy’s vision is that by 2020, 50 per cent of green spaces in England and Wales will be of Green Flag standard – a staggering 15,000 sites.
• 46 Green Flag Award winners have also won a unique Green Heritage Site accreditation which distinguishes them as sites of historical significance.
• The Awards have been such a success in England and Wales that they are currently being piloted in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Holland.