Landscape & A m en it y
December 2024
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Ten Green Flag Award winning parks chosen by the public
Some of the most impressive green spaces in the UK – as voted for by park users – have been officially recognised in the 2024 People’s Choice Awards. A record breaking 2,227 parks and green spaces achieved
the Green Flag Award - the international quality mark for parks and green spaces – this year, with successful submissions from local authorities and other land managers across the country for a range of sites, from world-famous city parks to
small, local green spaces. It’s the largest number since the scheme began 28 years ago. Now members of the park-loving public have revealed their top ten favourite of those Green Flag Award parks and spaces as part of the charity’s 2024 People’s
Choice Awards, with thousands of people casting their vote: • Rectory Lane Cemetery - Friends of St Peter’s Berkhamsted – Dacorum, England • Hollycroft Park - Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Leicestershire, England • Beacon Park – pictured Lichfield District Council – Staffordshire, England • Victoria Park (Tower Hamlets) - London Borough of Tower Hamlets – England • Valentines Park - Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure Ltd – London, England • Hainault Forest Country Park - Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure Ltd – London, England • Warley Woods - Warley Woods Community Trust – West Midlands, England • Gardd Enfys - Friends of Gardd Enfys – Wales • Margam Park - Neath Port Talbot Local Authority – Wales • Strathaven Park - South Lanarkshire Council – Scotland
Green Flag Award Manager Paul Todd MBE said: “Parks are a crucial part of this country’s green infrastructure, providing free opportunities to access physical and mental health benefits even in the most built-up urban environments. “We believe everyone, wherever they live, should be able to access and enjoy safe, high-quality green space, so to have achieved this recognition from the public is testament to the tireless work by the thousands of parks staff and volunteers up and down the country to make their parks and green spaces wonderful places everyone can benefit from.” Meanwhile, hard working people who have dedicated their time to protecting and enhancing some of the most impressive green spaces in the UK have been officially recognised in the 2024 Best of the Best Awards, with a jury making the tough decision of who meets the criteria for each category. Green Flag Award Enquiry 1
will be invited to join the Greener Game by registering online. Upon submission of their club details, they will gain access to an extensive collection of energy-saving resources, including tutorials, case studies and guides tailored to help clubs adopt sustainable practices.
The programme, titled ‘Greener Game’, will empower grassroots clubs by providing them with investment opportunities for sustainable upgrades, alongside a wealth of educational resources and energy-saving guides.
The programme is set to invest £1.5m annually into grassroots football, benefiting around 75100 clubs each year.
Over the five-year programme, grassroots clubs across England
Four clubs have participated in the pilot phase of the programme, it is estimated that the installations carried out by E.ON Next, in partnership with
the FA, could save an average of around £3000 per year, per club, depending on their energy usage. James Kendall, FA director of football development, said: “Launching our new Greener Game programme marks another significant milestone for grassroots football and sustainability. Our partnership with E.ON Next allows us to give grassroots clubs practical tools and knowledge to embrace energy-efficient practices that will not only improve their operations and benefit the environment, but will also enable them to save money.
“This new programme is a true reflection of our commitment to creating a sustainable future for the sport we love. We have already seen the fantastic progress made by our Greener
Hedge & Verge Mowers
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Game pilot clubs, and we can’t wait to see how we can support even more across the country through this programme.” The FA
Enquiry 2
Machinery, Plant & Vehicles New case studies and product launches Page 18
Innovative turf care machinery creating and maintaining the world’s finest sports surfaces, visit www.campeyturfcare.com
READER ENQUIRY 3
Latest news from the urban environment Page 8
Jane Carley rounds up the latest models
Greener Game launched for grassroots sustainability The FA has launched a sustainability programme as part of a new long-term partnership with E.ON Next, which is dedicated to driving decarbonisation, promoting sustainable practices and reducing energy costs for grassroots football clubs across the country.
Hard & Soft Landscaping