Rugby celebrates silver jubilee Green Flag success

Caldecott Park, Newbold's Centenary Park, and the 'pocket parks' at Millennium Green and Gladstone Green all retained the prestigious prize when the award-winners were announced today (Thursday 14 October).

Green Flag, the international benchmark for quality parks and green spaces, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Organised by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, Green Flag works to raise standards in parks and green spaces across the world, promoting well-maintained and well-managed parks with excellent facilities.

Judges assess each park put forward for the award against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement.

Caldecott Park has now retained a Green Flag for 14 years in a row, with Centenary Park celebrating a sixth successive award and the pocket parks retaining a flag for a fifth year running.

To mark the achievement, the council lights up the bandstand in Caldecott Park in green tonight to join Green Flag's #GoGreenForParks event.

#GoGreenForParks celebrates the role green spaces play in communities and pay tribute to the staff and volunteers who keep our parks spick and span.

Cllr Howard Roberts, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for leisure and wellbeing, said: "Our success in the Green Flag Awards reflects our commitment to offering our communities access to quality parks and green spaces.

"While the council's parks and grounds team works hard all year round to maintain the borough's green spaces, we also rely on our dedicated team of volunteers and residents to ensure our parks remain places we can all enjoy, so we can all share in this Green Flag success."

Commenting on Rugby's Green Flag Awards, Paul Todd, manager of the awards, said: "I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making Caldecott Park, Centenary Park and the pocket parks at Millennium Green and Gladstone Green worthy of a Green Flag Award.

"To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure these parks achieve the high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management, and provide places that support people to live healthy lives."