Three Peterborough parks have retained the prestigious Green Flag Award - marking them out as some of the best open spaces in the country.
Central Park, Itter Park and Manor Farm Park in Eye have all been confirmed as having maintained the sought after accolade.
Central Park has now held the award for the 22nd consecutive year.
The international accolade, now in its 28th year, highlights that the parks, maintained on behalf of the council by Aragon Direct Services, hold the highest possible environmental standards. They are exceptionally maintained and managed, with high-quality visitor facilities.
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recognises and rewards maintained parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Councillor Mohammed Jamil, Peterborough City Council's Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Once again we are absolutely delighted that three of our parks have retained this prestigious award. It is testament to the hard work of the teams at Aragon, who have maintained these much-loved spaces to such high standards.
"I also want to thank the volunteer groups who support these parks. They help promote the use and care of the parks’ facilities within their communities, seek funding and park improvements, and provide valuable feedback to the council and in turn, Aragon.
“We are fully committed to creating a greener city and reducing carbon emissions. We also know how much quality green spaces matter to residents and we will continue to maintain them to the highest standards.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved with these parks on achieving a Green Flag Award. They are vital green space for communities to socialise, enjoy nature, for children to play safely and provide important opportunities for park users to improve their physical and mental health.
"We know that staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that it maintains the high standards of the Green Flag Award, everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement. It is important that our free to use spaces are maintained to the Green Flag Award standard, making them accessible for all members of the community while ensuring the environment is protected.”
For more information about Central Park visit here. For more information about the Green Flag Awards visit www.greenflagaward.org.uk