It’s all rosy for local award winning parks

SIX of Dublin’s finest public green spaces have received recognition for providing standards of excellence.

At the 2015 Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland Green Flag Awards for Parks & Green Spaces, held in Antrim, Malahide Demesne (Fingal County Council), Poppintree Park (Dublin City Council), Millennium Park (Fingal County Council), Grangegorman Military Cemetery (OPW), St Stephen’s Green (OPW) and Bushy Park (Dublin City Council) were awarded the

‘Green Flag for Parks & Green Spaces Award’.

They were the first parks in the Republic of Ireland to be awarded with this internationally recognised standard of excellence after a successful pilot.

An introduction of the scheme into the Republic of Ireland was recently piloted by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce with Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, and also with the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Robert Moss, the Green Flag Awards for Parks & Green Spaces co-ordinator for the Republic of Ireland, said the hard work, often unseen, of many park staff over many years has provided Ireland with a wealth of treasured parks, gardens, and green spaces.

“These important amenities provide us with a welcome refuge from the stress of urban life, and are major attractions for tourists and other visitors to Ireland,

? said Mr Moss.

“We have greatly benefited from working closely with our colleagues in Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the Green Flag for Parks & Spaces operator in Northern Ireland and also with the park operators in Northern Ireland and the international co-ordination at Keep Britain Tidy.

?

The Green Flag Award for Parks & Green Spaces is internationally coordinated by Keep Britain Tidy and acknowledges and accredits best practice in the sustainable management of parks and green spaces.

For more information, visit www.greenflagaward.org.uk