Going for Green!
RESIDENTS are being encouraged to put Charnwood’s most beloved beauty spots on the map by casting their votes in a national poll.
Keep Britain Tidy has opened the polls to find Britain’s perfect parks and greatest green spaces in this year’s nationwide People’s Choice Award.
The candidates have been selected from all of the country’s Green Flag-winning venues including the Outwoods and Queen’s Park which are maintained by Charnwood Borough Council.
Councillor Hilary Fryer, Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Cleansing and Open Spaces, said: ”We are delighted with the reputation that our parks have gained over the years - a lot of hard work has gone into making them special places to visit.
“We hope that residents will cast their vote for our most treasured beauty spots to celebrate the environmental wealth on offer in Charnwood.”
Green Flags are only handed to venues which meet eight key criteria – a welcoming place, healthy, safe and secure, clean and well maintained, sustainability, conservation and heritage, community involvement, marketing and management.
For the last five years the Outwoods, Loughborough’s 40.5 hectare woodland, has received a Green Flag Award demonstrating the county’s ongoing commitment to protect the oldest area of woodland in the county. The Outwoods boasts various rare species of woodland plants and some of the oldest exposed rocks in Britain.
The Victorian-built Queen’s Park, is a popular and scenic facility which has retained its traditional look and feel over the years as well as playing host to events. It recently won a special award for horticultural excellence at the East Midlands In Bloom competition.
To vote, visit www.greenflagaward.org.uk, select your region on the interactive map, find your favourite park or green space and click the ‘vote for this site’ button.
Voting closes at midnight on Sunday 14th October.
The Green Flag Award was first launched in 1996 to recognise and reward the best green spaces in the country. It is the national standard for parks and acknowledges well managed, high quality sites with community involvement.
All Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces are entered into the annual poll, which last year saw thousands of people voting for their favourite green space.
