Mayo parks excel at the 2023 Green Flag Awards
The Green Flag Award for Parks has been awarded to 101 parks, gardens, grounds and wildlife sanctuaries around the country. The award benchmarks excellence in the management of green spaces which are open free the public.
In Mayo, Green Flag Awards have been presented to Balla Woodlands and Parks and Ballycroy Visitor Centre - Wild Nephin National Park, which was also Highly Commended in the Pollinator Plan Award, with Green Flag Award and Heritage Site Accreditation for Enniscoe, the Jackie Clarke Collection Heritage Garden, Ballina, and Turlough Park, Turlough, and Green Flag Community Awards announced for Ballina Karen Community Garden and Ballyhaunis Community Garden.
Once again, more Green Flag Awards have been secured by Irish Parks and Gardens than by any country other than the UK, where the scheme originated in 1996. Out of 150 awarded in Europe, 101 were in Ireland.
This year, participating European countries include Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
Emlyn Cullen, programme manager for An Taisce Environmental Education Unit, who run the awards in Ireland, said: “The continued success of the Green Flag Award is due to the love staff members have for their green spaces and the hard work they put in to maintaining them. They do a phenomenal job every day making their parks and gardens beautiful, safe spaces for the public to enjoy.”
The Green Heritage Site Accreditation is an extra award given to sites that showcase their unique landscape and built heritage. With the support of the NPWS and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, 12 Irish Green Flag sites were accredited to Green Heritage Accreditation standard this year.
Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, said of the Green Heritage Accreditation: “I am delighted that the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my department supports and co-funds the Green Heritage Site Accreditation Programme. This scheme is a welcome and important complement to the existing Green Flag Award.
“The Green Heritage Accreditation enables a larger pool of sites to participate in the programme and highlights the multifaceted nature of our green spaces. The scheme brings together the human and natural aspect of a place. It celebrates best practice in engagement with multi-layered heritage and reminds us all of our responsibility to appreciate and preserve richness and diversity of the green spaces that surround us, now even more important than ever.”
The Green Flag Community Award brings the award to community initiatives such as Community Gardens, Community Parks, and Tidy Towns Projects. By acknowledging the work done by local groups, this Community Award helps empower community groups to improve their local area and environment.
In Ireland, the Green Flag Community Award Scheme is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The Minister of State for Community Development and Charities, Joe O’Brien, stated: “The Department of Rural and Community Development has supported An Taisce with the expansion of the Green Flag since 2018 into community-run spaces. By doing this we have been able to leverage the Green Flag Award values and standards for the benefit of our communities and their voluntary work.
“I want to thank all community volunteers, across the country for all the work they have done by maintaining the many parks, gardens and greens across the country. It is a great credit that they have helped deliver this this Green Flag accreditation across Ireland.”