Five parks and cemeteries in Stoke-on-Trent have again been awarded Green Flag status, the national award for public and community parks and green spaces.
Longton Park and Park Hall Country Park, together with Fenton and Burslem Cemeteries and Carmountside Cemetery and Crematorium are all listed among the country’s best.
The Green Flag scheme was launched in 1996. Winners must meet strict criteria and prove that they provide a well-managed and maintained space for the local community.
Cllr Andy Platt, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for Green Enterprises, said: “Our parks are visited by tens of thousands of people every year. It’s great news that Longton and Park Hall Country parks have retained their Green Flags. The staff who look after them and the parks’ visitors should feel rightly proud.”
Cllr Janine Bridges, whose City Council cabinet responsibilities include lifetime services, said: “Stoke-on-Trent has a very proud tradition of providing lovely cemetery environments in which people can remember and reflect.
“The Green Flag is national recognition of the staff’s year-round efforts. They work very hard to make sure that the cemeteries provide a comforting, pleasant and tidy environment for everyone who visits.”
Carmountside Cemetery and Crematorium was the first green space in the city to achieve the Green Flag award, and has now
been awarded for the fifth consecutive year. Fenton and Burslem Cemeteries have been awarded their flags for the fourth year
running.
Both Park Hall Country Park and Longton Park successfully retain their Green Flags after being awarded them for the first time last year.
The Green Flag scheme is managed in England by a consortium, comprising Keep Britain Tidy, The Conservation Volunteers and GreenSpace on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.