More than 30 Green Flag honours for Wirral

Birkenhead Park, Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale Local Nature Reserve in Bromborough, Central Park in Wallasey, Holy Cross Woodchurch Churchyard and Flaybrick Memorial Gardens, Bidston are among 2,127 parks and green spaces across the UK receiving the coveted award.

Green Flag status is awarded by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy in a scheme celebrating 25 years as the international quality mark for parks.

Each of the sites has been honoured in recognition for having good environmental standards, being well-maintained and providing clean and safe visitor facilities.

A spokesperson for Keep Britain Tidy said: "After 18 months that have seen parks become lockdown lifelines, playing a vital role for people across the country as places to breathe, relax, exercise and meet friends and family safely, the news that a record number have achieved the Green Flag Award standard is testament to the hard work and dedication of those tasked with looking after these national assets."

Wirral's Green Flag Award winners are:

• Ashton Park, West Kirby
• Bidston Hill
• Birkenhead Park
• Brotherton Park and Dibbinsdale Local Nature Reserve, Bromborough
• Central Park, Liscard
• Coronation Gardens, Greasby
• Dawstone Park, Heswall
• Eastham Country Park
• Flaybrick Memorial Gardens, Bidston
• Frankby Cemetery
• Hamilton Square, Birkenhead
• Harrison Park, Wallasey
• Heswall Dales
• Hilbre Island Local Nature Reserve
• Landican Cemetery
• Mayer Park, Bebington
• Meols Parade Garden
• New Ferry Butterfly Park
• North Wirral Coastal Park
• Queen's Park, Meols
• Rake Lane Cemetery, Wallasey
• Royden Park
• The Arno, Prenton
• The Breck, Wallasey
• Thornton Hough Village Green
• Torr Park Eastham
• Vale Park, New Brighton
• Victoria Gardens, West Kirby
• Victoria Park, Rock Ferry
• Walker Park, Prenton
• Wirral Country Park

Green Heritage Site accreditation goes to:

• Port Sunlight Village
• Birkenhead Park

Green Flag Community Award status goes to:

• Woodchurch Holy Cross

Paul Todd, Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, said: "I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making 30 of Wirral’s parks worthy of a Green Flag Award.

"To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure that the parks and green spaces have high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and is a place that supports people to live healthy lives."

Congratulating this year's winners, Keep Britain Tidy's chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: "As the award celebrates 25 years of raising the standard, Keep Britain Tidy is delighted to be the custodian of a scheme that does so much to ensure our parks and green spaces go from strength to strength.

"At a time when parks have been at the heart of every community across the country it is perhaps not surprising that 95% of the public thinks that their local parks and green spaces need to be protected.

"This is why the Green Flag Award is so important.

"It ensures that parks and green spaces are managed to the highest standards and are safe and accessible for everyone to enjoy and we look forward to the next 25 years."

Research carried out by YouGov for Keep Britain Tidy over the summer shows just how important parks are to the public.

It reveals that having access to a quality park or green space helped improve people’s mental health with almost six in ten (59%) saying they felt less stressed when using the park and 55% saying they felt more positive in general.

The survey also showed that more than half of people (53%) visit a park or green space at least once a week and more than nine in ten (93%) think that parks and green spaces are important to their local community.

In celebration of this year’s announcement, Keep Britain Tidy is asking the owners of buildings and monuments around the UK to #GoGreenForParks today to show appreciation for the spaces that mean so much to people.