ELVETHAM GETS GREEN FLAG

PHOTOCALL:

2pm July 28 @ Turners Pond, Elvetham Heath

(Nature Reserve side)

ELVETHAM Heath Local Nature Reserve & Open Spaces in Fleet is officially one of the best sites in the UK. With parks providing the perfect location for families during the school holidays, this valuable wildlife reserve and recreational space has been recognised as one of the country’s best green spaces with a prestigious Green Flag Award to be awarded next Wednesday ( July 28) at 2pm.

The nature reserve and open spaces get a lot of visitors and are popular with local residents, especially dog walkers. The site can be accessed from Elvetham Heath Way on foot from local facilities, via local bus routes to Elvetham Heath  or by rail to Fleet train station. The nature reserve is close to the village pond near Morrison's Supermarket. It has excellent pathways and board walks over the wet areas thus making access easy.

Green Flag Awards recognise and reward the best parks and open spaces in the country and Elvetham Heath stood out after impressing the judges with its excellent use of green space, well-maintained facilities and high standard of safety and security.

This year has seen the highest number of awards handed out – a record 1200 Green Flags and Green Pennants across the UK compared to 1013 in 2009. Green Pennants are awarded to parks or green spaces managed by a community or voluntary group.

Only green spaces that are free to enter and open to the public are eligible to win an award through the scheme, which is run by environmental charities Keep Britain Tidy, BTCV and GreenSpace.

Tim Ackroyd, Countryside Ranger, Elvetham Heath Local Nature Reserve, said:

“Elvetham Heath Local Nature Reserve and its surrounding green space is not only important for wildlife, but for local people, children and adults alike. The Countryside and Grounds Maintenance Service has worked very hard throughout the year to ensure the existing infrastructure and facilities are maintained to a high standard. This award has distinguished the site as a very clean well managed green space and we will strive to maintain this high level of management for the enjoyment of the entire community”.

Sara Kinnell, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Environmental Promotion Department, said:

“I'm delighted we have received a Green Flag award for Elvetham Heath Local Nature Reserve. I would like to congratulate everyone who was involved in gaining this award as it is a wonderful achievement for our Leisure and Environmental Promotion department and something we can all be proud of.

This success highlights the continuing work carried out across all our nature reserves and demonstrates our commitment to an ongoing improvement plan. We look forward to working with all of our partners to achieve more Green Flag awards in the future.”  

The awards could not come at a better time as Green Space’s ‘Love Parks’ week takes place between July 24 and August 1, during which people are encouraged to enjoy the nation’s parks and green spaces.

Ends

Notes to editors

• The Green Flag Award Scheme is managed by a consortium, comprising Keep Britain Tidy, BTCV and GreenSpace. Known collectively as the Green Flag Plus Partnership, the consortium manages the scheme in England on behalf of Communities and Local Government (CLG).
• Green Flag Award recognises well-managed, high-quality green spaces. Any green space is eligible to win this award providing visitors can enter free of charge. Previous winners include parks managed by local authorities as well as those run by community groups and trusts.
• The applications for the Green Flag Awards are judged against eight criteria: a welcoming place; healthy safe and secure; clean and well maintained; sustainability; conservation and heritage; community involvement; marketing; and management.
• The Green Flag Award 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.
• For more information visit:  www.greenflagaward.org.uk

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