A record number of green spaces across the UK are being recognised by the Green Flag Awards 2024, celebrating the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces.

This year, 2,227 parks and green spaces are preparing to raise the Green Flag Award after reaching international quality standards.

Mayfield Park, Manchester, is among the newly recognised parks. The site, which played host to the inaugural RHS Urban Show earlier this year, is the city’s first new park in a century.

Judges hailed the park ‘outstanding’, calling it one of the best urban parks they had seen in 20+ years of judging.

Since the scheme launched 28 years ago, four parks in the UK have flown the Green Flag consecutively every year, these are: Cockington Country Park – Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, Worden Park – South Ribble Borough Council, Queen’s Park – City of London, and Highgate Wood – City of London.

In addition, 130 of the winners have received a Green Heritage Site Accreditation for the management of historic features, supported in England by Historic England.

As well as several sites managed by voluntary and community groups up and down the UK.

Congratulating this year’s winners, Keep Britain Tidy chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, says:

“We believe the standards expected in the Green Flag Award should be a minimum for every park, and it is our ambition that by 2030 we increase the number of sites achieving Green Flag Award status even further so that people across the world, wherever they live, can access and enjoy safe, high-quality green space.”

The Green Flag Award scheme is managed by Keep Britain Tidy, in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and Keep Scotland Beautiful under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.

See the full list of Green Flag Awards 2024 winners at, www.greenflagaward.org/