Park goers in Brighton & Hove are being encouraged to vote for their favourite Green Flag park in a bid to be named among the top ten in the country.
Earlier this summer Brighton & Hove City council’s parks staff were delighted to hear that Easthill Park, Hove Park, Kipling Gardens, Preston Park, St Ann’s Well Gardens, Stoneham Park and The Level had all been awarded prestigious Green Flags for excellence.
Green Flags are awarded each year by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, to recognise and reward the best parks and green spaces across the country for having high standards and excellent facilities. In doing so, the charity aims to set the benchmark standard for the management of recreational outdoor spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
To be rewarded with this accolade, judges select parks that meet certain criteria and maintain high standards in all areas. Requirements include: being well maintained and having excellent facilities, meeting the public’s health, safety and security needs, and having a positive impact on the environment, wildlife and the local community.
Now, the Award Scheme is asking the nation to have its say and decide which parks and green spaces should receive the People’s Choice Award for being the UK’s favourites.
All seven Brighton & Hove parks have made the shortlist for the People’s Choice Awards and, as an extra bonus, a photo of The Level features on one of the adverts promoting the award!

On this news, Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said:
“Our dedicated staff, friends groups and volunteers work tirelessly to make sure that our award winning parks and gardens are a pleasure to visit all year round and the Green Flag Awards are a fitting reward for their efforts.. I have no doubt that all seven deserve to be among the Top Ten People’s Choice parks. But we’ll only get there if people vote!
“I’m encouraging everyone to visit the Keep Britain Tidy website, cast their vote and show how much we all value these precious public open spaces.”
Paul Todd, Green Flag Award Manager added: “This year 1,883 parks and green spaces met the tough standards demanded by our Green Flag Award Judges but we want to know which parks the UK public love the most.
“The People’s Choice award is a chance to show how much your favourite park means to you. If it’s worth shouting about, make your voice heard and vote now.”
If you believe that any of our city’s Green Flag parks deserve national recognition and should be named in the top 10 People’s Choice, then make sure you vote in this year’s Green Flag People’s Choice awards!
To vote for your favourite, simply go to www.greenflagaward.org, find your park on the winners map, and click the voting button. Once you’ve registered your vote, you can encourage others to get involved too through social media using the hashtag #PeoplesChoice.
Voting is open now but closes in two weeks on Thursday 20th September, with the top 10 parks announced on Tuesday 16th October 2018.
Featured image via Brighton Visitor Twitter account: @BrightonVisitor