Peterborough parks pick up prestigious award

Three Peterborough parks have been named among the best green spaces in the country after winning a Green Flag Award.

Central Park, Itter Park and Manor Farm Park in Eye have all been confirmed as having retained the sought-after accolade.

For Central Park, it is the 21st consecutive year that the park has held the award, while Manor Farm Park has held it for 11 years.

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 well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

Councillor Nigel Simons, Cabinet Member for Waste, Street Scene and the Environment, Peterborough City Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted that three of our parks have retained this prestigious award and it is testament to the hard work of the teams at Aragon, who have maintained these vital spaces to such high standards.

“The parks are also supported by very proactive “Friends of” groups. These volunteer groups 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.”

Over the past 15 years Manor Park Farm has been given a number of grants to improve the site. In 2010 the Eye Open Space Group were awarded £100,000 in Lottery funding, which enabled new equipment to be installed and planting to begin, which has continued ever since.

In 2022 the Eye Open Space applied for and was granted a further £28,000 from Viridor Peterborough for a 30 Mtr Zip Wire. This brings the total of grants obtained for the park by the Open Space Group to £158,000

Earlier this month a group of youngsters secured funding to improve safety at Central Park.

READ MORE: Youngsters win 18 month campaign for funding to improve safety at Peterborough's Central Park