A THIRD popular park in Basingstoke has been awarded prestigious green flag status, putting them among the best green spaces in the UK.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Beggarwood Park joins Eastrop Park and War Memorial Park in gaining Keep Britain Tidy’s international quality mark for parks and green spaces for being beautifully maintained, clean and safe, with facilities for visitors.

It is the first year that Beggarwood Park has been assessed under the green flag scheme following £258,000 of investment in 2021 which saw improvements to seating, bins and landscaping.

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New play equipment and a pump track for BMXers, skaters and scooters was also installed in the open space as well as a Wild Zone to encourage children to explore the natural world.

Eastrop Park has held green flag status for the past 24 years while War Memorial Park has received the same award for 16 years.

The awards reflect the hard work and dedication of the council’s grounds maintenance and street cleansing teams that care for the green spaces so that everyone can enjoy them.

Cabinet member for residents’ services and housing Cllr Laura James said: “It is really great news that Beggarwood Park joins Eastrop Park and War Memorial Park to be recognised as among the best in the country and this is in no small part due to the hard work of the council teams who look after them so well.

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“We know that the parks and open spaces in our borough are very important to our residents’ health and wellbeing which is why we want to make sure they are accessible to all, well maintained and fun places for our residents and their families to enjoy.” 

Keep Britain Tidy’s green flag award scheme manager Paul Todd MBE added: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved at these three parks in achieving a green flag award.

“The parks are a vital green space for the community in Basingstoke and Deane, bringing people together and providing opportunities to lead healthy lifestyles. The staff and volunteers do so much to ensure that they maintain the high standards of the green flag award and everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.”

For more information about local parks visit basingstoke.gov.uk/local-parks