Cliffe Castle in Keighley, Haworth's Central Park and Darwin Gardens Millennium Green in Ilkley again all feature in the list of Green Flag Award winning parks.
Cliffe Castle has retained its double Green Flag Award status as both a Green Flag park and as the district’s only Green Heritage Site, an award supported by Historic England.Just seven sites in all of Yorkshire were awarded this status.
The Keighley park, owned and managed by Bradford Council, in the grounds of Cliffe Castle Museum, has been praised by Green Heritage judges for making an effort ‘to ensure the public can experience all of Cliffe Castle’s rich natural, visual and physical heritage through the whole year’. Judges were also impressed by the commitment of staff, Cliffe Castle Support Group and local volunteers to restore and maintain the park and share the ‘heritage value of the park’ with a range of events and guided tours.
The Green Heritage Site category of the Green Flag Awards requires sites to meet good conservation standards; to celebrate, restore and maintain their historic features; to provide information on historic features for the public and to reflect historic character in the trees and plants on the site.
Judges of the Green Flag Award also highlighted the community involvement with the park, saying: "It was excellent to see that the park has a well-established friends group which are a registered charity and meet on a regular basis with park management teams and local residents.’ Other areas for praise included the well maintained grass areas, the reintroduction of Victorian plants, the range of events organised at the park and ‘a clear recognition and aim to support the diverse community around the park."
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Portfolio Holder for Healthy People and Places at Bradford Council, said: “This is fantastic news for all those who work so hard to make Cliffe Castle Park one of the gems of our district. Over the years it has become an active part of the Keighley community, as well as attracting visitors from further afield. Congratulations to everyone involved in achieving these two accolades.”
Haworth's Central Park also makes the grade after secretly being visited by judges, while Ilkley Town Council's Darwin Gardens Millennium Green is also on the list once more.
Darwin Gardens is managed by Ilkley Town Council, a spokesperson said: “We are delighted to receive this coveted award for the 17th year running, which recognises the importance of this green space in the town and the hard work of all involved in maintaining the gardens to such a high standard”.
Otley Chevin Country Park, run by Leeds City Council, also gets a Green Flag.
Across the rest of the Bradford district, four other council-run parks achieved the status - Lister Park in Manningham, Harold Park in Low Moor and Peel Park in Undercliffe.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby added: “We are very proud of our parks and green spaces which year on year are recognised by the Green Flag Awards. The awards highlight the hard work and commitment of our staff and the many friends of groups who share their vision to have high quality parks which are accessible and enjoyable places for everyone.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd MBE said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making these parks worthy of a Green Flag Award.
“They are vital green space for the community in district bringing people together and providing opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles. The staff and volunteers do so much to ensure that it maintains the high standards of the Green Flag Award and everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.”
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