Local community garden ranked among world’s top 10

A LOCAL park run by volunteers has been voted one of the best in the world in a recent poll.

Santry Demesne Community Garden has been voted one of the world’s top ten Green Flag sites following competition that saw more public votes cast than ever before in the annual People’s Choice Awards.

Located on the site of what was once a palatial old house and gardens built in 1703, Santry Demesne was officially taken over by Fingal County Council in June 2003.

The Santry Community Garden is a 4 ½ acre Victorian Walled Garden situated in the grounds of the Santry Demesne public park and is run by volunteers.

Santry Community Garden receiving and celebrating their first Community Garden Green Flag award last November

The Santry Community Garden group was formed in 2010 and since then they have completely transformed the plot turning it into a wonderful amenity for the whole neighbourhood.

The wider park of Santry Demesne is itself a Green Flag Award Site since 2017.

Santry Community Garden successfully applied for the Green Flag Community Award for the first time in 2021.

Operated by volunteers it is supported by Fingal County Council – which celebrated a total of 8 Green Flag Award wins in 2021.

The Community Awards have been operating as part of the Green Flag Award Scheme within Ireland since 2018, with the support of the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Some of the volunteers hard at awork in the Community Garden

The People’s Choice is voted on every year by members of the public. Green Flag Parks and Gardens rally votes via social media to encourage people to show their love for their local green spaces.

Robert Moss, Republic of Ireland Green Flag Award Manager said:

“Santry Community Garden is now well established, having been in operation for over 10 years.

“It serves many people within the local community who live within apartment complex developments surrounding the wider park.

“It is partly for this reason that it has attracted so many votes … because it is such an important amenity for these residents.

“Also of significance is the fact that the 2021 season is now the fourth year in a row for which Ireland has seen one of its parks and gardens voted to be among the best in the World, as part of this public vote.”

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh, was also full of praise for the all the hard work from the volunteers.

“What a fantastic and well-deserved accolade to receive,” she said.

“This is great recognition for the enthusiastic volunteers in the Santry community who have really helped to transform the gardens into an oasis for visitors and locals alike.”

The top voted-for parks from ten countries are:

• Santry Demesne Community Garden, Fingal County Council, Ireland
• Yildiz Grove, ?stanbul Büyük?ehir Belediyesi, Turkey
• Provinciaal Groendomein Rivierenhof, Provincie Antwerpen, Belgium
• Jardim do Monte Latito, Câmara Municipal de Guimarães, Portugal
• Campus de la Universidad de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra, Spain
• Máximapark, Gemeente Utrecht als partner in de Parkorganisatie Máximapark, Netherlands
• TECT All Terrain Park, Western Bay of Plenty District Council/Tauranga City Council, New Zealand
• Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane City Parklands, Australia
• The Presidio of San Francisco, The Presidio Trust, USA
• Katariinan Meripuisto, City of Kotka, Finland

Carl McClean, International Development Manager for the Green Flag Award said:

“This isn’t the first time this year that people have been vocal about their love for parks.

“The effects of the pandemic have meant that more and more communities are valuing the outdoor spaces that they have local access to, and I hope that this voice is also heard loud and clear by political leaders.”