Parks Trust wins national award for the way it looks after parkland around Milton Keynes

It's the fifth year in a row they've won the Green Flag award
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The Parks Trust has won a Green Flag award for fifth year in a row for their high standard it maintains in parks across MK.

The award scheme is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

It recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the United Kingdom and around the world.

Stony Stratford Nature ReserveStony Stratford Nature Reserve
Stony Stratford Nature Reserve

The Parks Trust are the first and only organisation to win the Green Flag Award for a whole-city approach rather than for an individual park.

They were judged on their management plan that covers the entire 6,000 acres they maintain across Milton

Keynes as well as a mystery shop, where a judge visited four of their parks at random.

They chose Campbell Park, Willen Lake North, Floodplain Forest Naturem Reserve and Stony Stratford Nature Reserve.

The judges visited Campbell ParkThe judges visited Campbell Park
The judges visited Campbell Park

Through the Green Flag award, The Parks Trust have been recognised as having very high and consistent standards throughout the parks in their care along with high community engagement thanks to the hundreds of events and activities they organise and enable annually.

It was noted within the award report that many of the activities organised enabled residents of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to use and appreciate the parks.

Furthermore, Green Flag commentated on the high priority placed on cleanliness at all sites as well as the focus on heritage features particularly the recently awarded Grade II listing of Campbell Park on the national list of Historic Parks and Gardens and the ongoing project at Great Linford Manor Park to restore parts of the 18th

Century landscape following a successful National Lottery Heritage Fund bid.

The report stated: "It is admirable that the Trust chose to manage all their 50 plus parks to a Green Flag standard. Keeping up these high standards will be a challenge in it itself, but there are no significant areas of

improvements that could identified".

James Cairncross, landscape infrastructure manager at The Parks Trust said “With Covid protocols in place the judges were unaccompanied on their visits and had free rein to choose which of our 50 plus parks covered by the award to sample and when.

"Thanks to the hard work of our staff, volunteers and contractors we were confidentmthat they’d find the same level of quality wherever they chose to visit. It’s always amprivilege to receive the Green Flag Award and this year’s result was especially pleasing.”

The Parks Trust is an independent charity that cares for over 6,000 acres of parkland and green space in Milton Keynes. This includes the river valleys, ancient woodlands, lakesides, parks and landscaped areas alongside the main roads.

In addition to parkland, The Parks Trust takes care of the landscaping along the main grid roads – 80 miles of trees, shrubs and flowers.