18 July 2017
One of south-west London’s parks has even more cause to celebrate this Love Parks Week as it wins praise from HRH The Prince of Wales and receives a Green Flag Award.
During the launch of the new Royal Parks charity last week, none other than HRH The Prince of Wales shared his own love of parks and memories of childhood visits with his great grandmother Queen Mary. The Prince also paid tribute to the “unsung and unseen” staff working to make London’s parks some of the best in the world.
He said: “The parks I remember as a very small child, being taken around Richmond Park with my great grandmother Queen Mary in her wonderful old, upright green Daimler. As a result, those parks, in particular Richmond Park, are imprinted on my childhood memory in a very special way, which is why I have always felt that children should have the opportunity to experience parks at a young age.”
Today, a record number of Green Flag Awards – 1,797 – are being raised in parks and green spaces across the UK, including across eight of London’s Royal Parks. The Green Flag Award, managed by Keep Britain Tidy, is a quality mark for the best-managed, cleanest and safest parks and green spaces in the country.
Richmond MP Zac Goldsmith joined our Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton to present Richmond Park with its Green Flag Award.
Mr Goldsmith said: “Richmond Park is one of this country’s true nature havens, and made even more extraordinary by the fact that it exists in the heart of our great city. I have spent so much of my life exploring and enjoying the Park, and for me it will always be one of earth’s treasures. I am so grateful to the men and women who look after the Parks on our behalf.”
Allison Ogden-Newton said: “Richmond Park is one of many parks that are a jewel in our country’s crown and it is wonderful to hear that His Royal Highness loves parks as much as we do. The very high standards achieved by all our Green Flag Award are testament to the work of the thousands of parks staff and volunteers throughout the year and it is great that we can celebrate their achievements in Love Parks Week.”
Congratulations to Richmond Park and all the other sites now proudly raising a Green Flag Award.
