Beautiful Burnley parks are sending others green with envy

Towneley, Scott, Ightenhill, Queen’s, and Padiham Memorial parks have all retained their Green Flag status for the ninth year running after impressing judges.

An application for Thompson Park was not put forward due to the ongoing £1.2m. Heritage Lottery Fund restoration work that is shortly coming to completion.

The parks were among a record-breaking 1,883 UK parks and green spaces to receive a prestigious Green Flag award. The international award is a sign to the public that the park or green space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.

Burnley Council’s executive member responsible for parks and green spaces Coun. John Harbour said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive Green Flag Awards for the ninth year in a row. We know how much our parks mean to local people and visitors from further afield alike and we’re very fortunate to have five award-winning parks across our borough.

“These awards also highlight the hard work and effort put into our parks by volunteers and the council’s greenspaces staff in maintaining them to such a high standard. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to keep our parks beautiful.

“Each of our parks has something slightly different to offer and I’d encourage everyone to try and visit them all.”

The parks are owned and managed by Burnley Council, which looks after 511 hectares of parks and open spaces in total. The parks include bowling greens, nature trails, cycle track, skate park, playgrounds, beautiful gardens, sports pitches and much, much more – and most residents are within easy reach of at least one of the parks.

International Green Flag Award scheme manager Paul Todd said: “We are delighted to be celebrating another record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award scheme, with more Green Flags awarded this year than last.

“Each flag honours the thousands of staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award. We are proud to have so many wonderful green spaces in the UK for people to enjoy.”