Burnham-On-Sea’s Marine Cove Gardens and Highbridge’s Apex Park won’t be receiving Green Flag Awards from Keep Britain Tidy this year due to council cost-cutting.
Somerset Council told Burnham-On-Sea.com that it has decided not to enter its parks and public spaces into the national competition due to its economic woes.
A Somerset Council spokeswoman confirmed to Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Somerset Council took the difficult decision not to enter their parks into the Green Flag this year due to the entry cost, except where externally funded.”
“Somerset Council has still maintained the parks to the same standard as previous years.”
The Green Flag accreditation is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces and is promoted by Keep Britain Tidy as being testament to the hard work and dedication of the teams that care for the green spaces.
In 2023, we reported here that ten Somerset parks and greenspaces were able to fly the Keep Britain Tidy Green Flag. They were: Ham Hill Country Park near Yeovil; Chard Reservoir Local Nature Reserve; Yeovil Country Park; Apex Park and Marine Cove in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge; Swains Lane Nature Reserve near Wellington; Vivary Park in Taunton; and Blenheim Gardens in Minehead.
The Green Flag awards were also won by Burnham’s Marine Cove and Highbridge’s Apex Park in 2022.
