21 May 2025
A group of eight South Korean park and green space professionals from the City of Pohang were given guided tours of some of London's most iconic green spaces. The trip was coordinated by Paul Todd and Carl McClean of Keep Britain Tidy - the UK charity that runs the Green Flag Award programme internationally on behalf of the UK Government.
(Image 1 above: Regent's Park Manager Nick Biddle begins the tour)
At Regent's Park, the delegates were guided by Regent's Park Manager, Nick Biddle, and were given a tour of the Queen Mary's Rose Gardens, the Japanese Garden, the restricted wildlife reserves and the lesser known St John's Lodge Garden. The Regent's Park has held a Green Flag Award continuously for more than a decade along with all seven other Royal Parks, and 500 other green spaces in the capital.
At Kings Cross the group were led by Mark Soanes - Landscape Manager at Nurture Landscapes, and Des Smith - Head Gardener at Kings Cross Estates. King’s Cross is one of the largest and most successful redevelopments in London.
Over the past 20 years, what was an underused industrial site has been transformed and rejuvenated with new streets, squares and parks, homes, shops, offices, galleries, bars, restaurants, schools, and even a university. In 2024 it won it's first Green Flag Award!
Finally, at The Strand Aldwych our guests were given a tour by Cannon Ivers - Director at LDA Design who led on the masterplan, and Katherine Fleming - Chief Operating Officer and Alison Gregory - Director of Placemaking and Sustainability, both of London Heritage Quarter.
The pedestrianisation of The Strand Aldwych was developed following an extensive consultation process with over 70 stakeholders. The newly pedestrianised public space transformed busy roadways into a much more user friendly landscape and a brand new green space for the city.
The visit to London was part of City of Pohang's interest in the Green Flag Award programme. Having applied and won the award in 2022, the city has not obtained approval to reapply and maintain their status. The Green Flag Award team are hoping that changes this year with renewed interest of international standards and strong political leadership in the city.
Image 8: Carl McClean - International Development Manager for the Green Flag Award proposes a strategy to grow the programme in South Korea in cities along the high speed rail network
Another record-breaking year for Green Flag Award
The Green Flag Award continues to grow around the world. The 2024-25 season saw an amazing 2,531 winners from 19 countries. This included first time awards in Seattle (USA), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Malaga (Spain), Toowoomba (Australia), Istanbul (Turkey), Lempäälä (Finland) and London (UK).
To see a full list of Green Flag Award winning parks, visit: http://www.greenflagaward.org/award-winners/
Any park or green space that is free to enter can apply. Keep Britain Tidy respond to all enquiries from new and existing countries and will support organisations in the application process towards Green Flag Award accreditation.
To find out more, or apply for an Award, whichever country you are based in; explore the Green Flag Award website: https://www.greenflagaward.org, or alternatively click here for a contact form.
