Five city parks awarded Green Flags

F ive c i ty pa rk s h ave b e e n named among the best in the country after receiving a prestigious Green Flag for 2020.

Sunderland City Council parks and gardens have again been recognised with Green Flag status and with awards going to Barnes Park, Hetton Lyons Country Park, Roker Park, Mowbray Park and Herrington Country Park.

They are among more than 2,000 sites across the country to collect the Green Flag Award.

Managed by Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the awards recognise and reward well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the UK and around the world.

Cllr Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "It is a mark of how much love and care there is for parks and green spaces in our city that our parks have once again won this prestigious award.

“We know how much quality green spaces matter to residents and visitors.

"These awards celebrate the dedication that goes into maintaining our parks to such a high standard and it is something everyone in the city can feel proud of.”

Sunderland's parks have been awarded Green Flag awards for many years.

In 2005, the former coll i e r y s p o i l h e a p t h at wa s transformed into Herrington Country Park won its first award and has been claiming awards ever since.

To celebrate the news, the Northern Spire Bridge, Wearmouth Bridge and Penshaw Monument joined other landmarks around the country on Wednesday turning green to mark the awards and to say thank you to the parks staff, volunteers and Green Flag Award Judges for all their work this year.

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive, Allison OgdenNewton OBE, said: “This year, more than ever, our parks and green spaces have been a lifeline and we know that millions of people have used them to relax, meet friends, exercise or simply escape for a short time.

“It is testament to the incredible dedication and hard work of parks staff and volunteers that, despite the challenges that went along with record numbers of visitors, Sunderland City Council has achieved the highest international standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.”