Seven green spaces across Cardiff have been awarded with a prestigious Green Flag.
Bute Park, Roath Park, Cathays Cemetery, Cardiff Bay Barrage, Victoria Park and Grange Gardens have all retained their current Green Flag status, with Rumney Hill Gardens attaining the award for the first time.
Following independent assessments of the parks earlier in the year, the announcement was made today by Assembly Minister, Jane Davidson at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd who unveiled a record 41 Green Flags across Wales, compared to 30 in 2009 – a 25 per cent increase.
In order to achieve Green Flag status the judges needed to be satisfied that all the green spaces met key criteria. They examined the council’s management plans and policies for the parks and were satisfied that areas such as access, safety, environmental policies, conservation and heritage, community involvement and good overall management were in place.
Judges visited all the parks and spoke to both staff and public before reaching their decisions.
The Green Flag Award is the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales. The award scheme began in 1996 as a means of recognising and rewarding the best green spaces in the country. It was also seen as a way of encouraging others to achieve the same high environmental standards, creating a benchmark of excellence in recreational green areas.
Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, said: “Once again Cardiff has excelled in these awards and I am delighted that seven of our wonderful green spaces have been awarded Green Flags.
“Our staff work tirelessly in preserving and maintaining our parks and green spaces and these awards are a great reflection on the work they do and the quality of what Cardiff has to offer.
“Our parks are currently thriving and, for example, it will be the third year Bute Park has achieved Green Flag status which in itself is a great achievement.”
Paul Todd, Manager, Green Flag Award Scheme, said: “It’s a remarkable achievement that so many parks have successfully reached Green Flag Award status this year. The staff running the parks work very hard throughout the year to ensure their facilities are maintained to a high standard and enjoyed by the entire community.
“As the recession bites and people look closer to home to enjoy the outdoors, the provision of high-quality, free open spaces is of particular importance.”
