Golden Acre and Otley Chevin – two Leeds parks gain Green Flag Award. Visit them in Love Parks Week.

Sometimes it feels really great to live in Leeds North West. Well, usually it feels really great to live here.

But you’re reminded just how lucky we are when you hear something like this.

Leeds has again been recognised for its high-quality green spaces, after six parks across the city were granted a prestigious Green Flag Award – and Golden Acre Park and Otley Chevin are up there among them.

They’re joined, not surprisingly, by Roundhay Park, Pudsey Park, Kirkstall Abbey and Temple Newsam estate. All of them keep their Green Flag Award that maintains their names on the national list of excellence.

Awards are given on an annual basis and winners must apply each year to renew their Green Flag status.

Launched in 1996, Green Flags were first awarded to recognise the best green spaces and parks across the UK in 1997. Potential sites for a Green Flag Award are judged on the following criteria: a welcoming place, healthy, safe and secure, clean and well maintained, sustainability, conservation and heritage, community involvement, marketing and management.

This news was well-timed. It comes as the city continues to celebrate ‘Love Parks Week’, a week designed to recognise the important part that green spaces play in both our communities’ and people’s lives.

If you’ve missed details of the week, you can find more here. ‎

There are still local events to catch

Like Bushcraft on Otley Chevin
Friday 2 August
10am – 3pm
When you can join the Countryside Rangers for an action packed day in the woods and learn how to build a shelter from natural materials, how to forage food and ‘first aid’ plants from the wild and how to start a fire without matches or a lighter. This event is suitable for children over the age of 12 (including big kids!).
Cost £10 per person
Details of where to meet will be provided on booking
Contact Dan Malster on 0113 336 7549 or Daniel.Malster@leeds.gov.uk for further information or to book.

Or a Guided walk with the head gardener at Golden Acre,
Saturday 3 August
1pm – 2.30pm
To find out more about the demonstration gardens at Golden Acre Park which include all sorts of wonderful flowers and plants.
Free event, meet outside Golden Acre cafe
Contact Dean Lockwood on 0113 395 7400 or parks@leeds.gov.uk for further detail

Councillor Mark Dobson, Labour’s executive member for the environment said:

“It really is great news, that six of our fantastic parks have been awarded Green Flag status for another year.

“An amazing amount of work is undertaken every day to keep our parks to a high standard, and it is fitting therefore that this award was announced during Love Parks Week in the city, when there are some great activities and events happening.

“I would like to thank everyone who through their hard work and dedication has contributed to this great success.”

Paul Todd, Green Flag Award scheme manager said:

“A Green Flag Award provides national recognition for the hard work and dedication of all the parks managers, staff and volunteers who have helped to create these fantastic places for all to enjoy.

“Quality green spaces are absolutely essential to happy, healthy communities. They are fundamental to our quality of life.”

Amen to that. What we need now is the funding so we can continue to provide these green lifelines for all the city’s residents.