Green flag raised in park
GOREY IS FIRST PARK IN WEXFORD TO RECEIVE GREEN FLAG AWARD
GOREY town park is now the first park in Wexford with a Green Flag.
The flag was raised last week in the park and a large crowd turned up for the occasion.
District manager Amanda Byrne said it was a great honour for the town.
‘We are delighted to be the first park in Wexford to achieve Green Flag standard and the Gorey Gateway staff who keep park to such a high standard are to be commended.’
Gorey is one of 22 parks and green spaces across Ireland who received the prestigious Green Flag which is awarded for exceeding tough environmental standards for green space management and visitor facilities. The Green Flag Awards is the mark of a quality park or green space recognised throughout the world.
This is the first year that the international award has been available to public parks, country parks, cemeteries and green spaces across the whole country.
Recognising the importance of the Green Flag award earlier this year Minister of State for the OPW and Flood Relief Sean Canney, said ‘over 1.59 million overseas garden visitors were recorded by Failte Ireland in 2015 and thus the Green Flag Award is important to ensure that appropriate park standards are being adopted and maintained for all visitors. The Green Flag Awards scheme has introduced a benchmark against which the quality of freely accessible public parks and green spaces are measured in many different countries across Europe and beyond.’
The Green Flag Awards are judged every year by green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement.
‘The often unseen hard work of many park staff over many years has provided Ireland with a wealth of treasured parks, gardens, and green spaces. These important amenities provide us with a welcome refuge from the stress of urban life, and are major attractions for tourists and other visitors to Ireland’, said Robert Moss, the Green Flag Awards for Parks Manager for the Republic of Ireland.
‘We have greatly benefited from working closely with Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the Green Flag for Parks operator in Northern Ireland and also with the park operators in Northern Ireland and Keep Britain Tidy.’