News 

The physical and mental health benefits of our green spaces were celebrated at the annual Green Flag Awards in Lisburn. The green heroes from 11 council areas across Northern Ireland, Queens University, Belfast, and the Department of Finance were recognised today for the pivotal work they do in maintaining the spaces for the public to run, walk, and spend family time in.

This year, the focus of the awards is celebrating the physical and mental health benefits that we get from using our local parks and green spaces. The awards are taking place during Love Parks Week, which runs from 26th July to 4th August 2024, which highlights the role green spaces play in boosting the health and wellbeing of residents and communities.

Our guest speaker, Dr. William Bird MBE, knows first-hand the benefits of a strong park network. Dr Bird has pioneered the concept of social prescribing by setting up the first Health Walk scheme, closely followed by the first Green Gym. He quickly found that companionship and contact with nature were major driving forces in keeping people active. The Green Flag programme sets international standards for our parks to strive toward and the record number of awards this year speaks directly to the high standards that the public can enjoy locally and their importance in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

112 awards were presented this year to parks and open spaces including 71 Green Flags, 34 community Green Flags and 7 Heritage Awards.

The Green Flag Award is an internationally recognised certification for environmental quality management for parks and open spaces and is increasingly sought after in Northern Ireland since the local programme opened in 2008.

Carol Forster Head of Business Development of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful which manages the local Green Flag Awards programme, said;

“Prioritising parks and open spaces is vital for our future and so we are delighted to see a milestone 105 sites in Northern Ireland meeting the required standards, representing over 4% of the sites globally achieving the prestigious international Green Flag award. These spaces provide vital opportunities to improve the physical and mental health of communities, provide havens for biodiversity, offer spaces where people can connect with nature and are a critical component of our green infrastructure. On behalf of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, I offer my congratulations to all of the park staff and community volunteers who devote much time and care to maintain these spaces for us all to enjoy. I want to encourage everyone this summer to take the opportunity to visit some of our beautiful green flag sites and enjoy these gems on our doorstep here in Northern Ireland”

The Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister, Andrew Muir MLA, said;

I am proud to support the Green Flags for Parks Awards programme and it is encouraging to see the increase in the number of parks providing quality green spaces that can be accessed by citizens and visitors alike. Our local parks provide a direct and vital link to our natural environment giving us all the opportunity to spend time outside in the fresh air and re-connect with nature. Our parks not only provide us with healthy spaces to live and relax, they also provide green corridors between wildlife-rich habitats, contributing to the wider nature recovery network that supports all our efforts to make Northern Ireland 'nature positive’.

Congratulations to the award winners today and I thank you for your tireless work that allows us all to fully enjoy the fantastic physical and mental health benefits offered by our parks and green spaces.

Notes to Editors

To view the full list of Green Flag Award winners for Northern Ireland, visit www.keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org/greenflagaward.