Green Flag awards for Belle Vue Park and Gwent Crematorium
Posted on Thursday 21st July 2016
The bandstand at Belle Vue Park
Newport City Council is proud to announce that the city’s Belle Vue Park has again been awarded a Green Flag accolade.
Keep Wales Tidy unveiled this year’s Green Flag Award winners – the international mark of a quality park or green space - today.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Green Flag Award scheme, which is delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Welsh Government.
It is judged by green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement.
Today’s winners, which also include Gwent Crematorium, join more than 1,600 Green Flag Award sites across the UK, Republic of Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, UAE, Australia and New Zealand.
Councillor Ray Truman, deputy leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Sustainability and Transport and Councillor Debbie Harvey, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, both praised the hard work of the council’s parks staff for the part they played in retaining the Green Flag for Belle Vue Park and earning the prize for Gwent Crematorium.
“Belle Vue Park is a popular venue in the city for residents to enjoy on a daily basis with safe play areas for youngsters and well-kept grounds with colourful flower displays which make this park one of the best in the city,” said Councillor Truman.
Cllr Harvey praised the parks department staff: “We are pleased that the hard work of our staff has paid off with the Green Flag being awarded again. It is a tribute to everyone involved that this honour has been presented.”
Gwent Crematorium was also among the winners of a Green Flag award this year.
Lucy Prisk, Green Flag Coordinator at Keep Wales Tidy said: “We are delighted to be celebrating another record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award scheme. Our parks and green spaces play an important role in our communities, but their benefits are often taken for granted. As well as providing havens for wildlife, having accessible, high quality green space can have a big impact of our health and wellbeing, and local economy.”
Belle Vue Park contains a number of rare specimens. In early spring the Himalayan Magnolias produce huge goblet-shaped pink flowers and the branches of the Judas Trees can be seen covered with clusters of rose-lilac flowers in May. In June and July the Tulip Tree produces its distinctive orange tulip-shaped flowers. Autumn brings glorious leaf colour including the clear yellow leaves of Ginko Biloba and the glorious crimson leaves of the Liquidambar.