Green flags fly in Central Bedfordshire’s parks and open spaces
Wednesday, 26 July 2023
Central Bedfordshire has been recognised as being home to some of the best parks and green spaces in the country in the 2023 National Green Flag Awards.
Houghton Hall Park and Rushmere Country Park have again received the prestigious Green Flag award, which is an internationally recognised hallmark of quality. This year Houghton Hall Park received its highest ever rating.
Flitton Moor, Linslade Wood, Studham Common, and Tiddenfoot Waterside Park all received the Green Flag Community award.
Councillor Gareth Mackey, Deputy Executive Member for Health, and Community liaison at Central Bedfordshire Council, said:
This is a fantastic accomplishment and I want to thank all our staff and hard-working volunteers who continue to put in so much time and effort to make our local parks and open spaces enjoyable for the public. Our parks and open spaces are so important for our physical and mental health. They are great places to connect with nature, get some exercise, and relax and play with family and friends. We hope that by achieving Green Flag status in so many of our parks and spaces it will encourage even more people to get out and enjoy them.
Love Parks Week
The Green Flag awards announcement came just in time for Love Parks Week which runs from Friday 28 July to Sunday 6 August.
As part of Love Parks Week, Houghton Hall Park is running events including Xplorer - a free family friendly navigation challenge that gives children a sense of adventure as they explore the park – and Mini beast hunting, with kits to find and identify tiny creatures that live in the park. The fun continues throughout the school holidays with Rainbow Fairies storytelling workshops and a Wind in the Willows outside theatre show from Full House Theatre.
We are also celebrating Love Parks Week with Street Tag, a fun, free smartphone app that turns parks in Central Bedfordshire into a giant virtual playground. By making physical activity into a game, Street Tag rewards walking, running and cycling with points (tags). The family-friendly game is suitable for all ages and can be enjoyed individually and in teams. Each game season lasts from 14 to 16 weeks. Schools, groups and individuals can compete to hit the top of the leader board and win prizes.
Have your say about Central Bedfordshire’s countryside sites
To provide great places for the local community to exercise, relax and play in nature, the Council is asking residents what they think about our green spaces in an online countryside sites survey.
The survey will be open for a month from Friday 28 July to Thursday 31 August and asks for views on cleanliness and maintenance, wildlife and conservation projects, visitor facilities and events.
Councillor Gareth Mackey, Deputy Executive Member for Health, and Community liaison at Central Bedfordshire Council, said:
We would like to ask anyone that has visited one of our countryside sites to complete the survey and to tell us their thoughts about how it could be improved. The survey will take no longer than five minutes to complete and your feedback will help us manage our sites to meet the needs of the community.