A popular and frequently-visited park in Marlow is one of seven to receive an award based on its green space.

Higginson Park, which is next to the town’s stretch of the River Thames, picked up a Green Flag prize on Tuesday July 16 after judges were impressed by the venue’s welcoming nature.

Strict judging criteria is used to assess if a park or green space is worthy of being awarded a Green Flag, as the inspectors considered the following elements:  

  • How welcoming is the park
  • If it’s healthy, safe and secure
  • If it’s well-maintained and clean
  • What the environmental management is like
  • Its biodiversity, landscape and heritage
  • Its community involvement
  • The marketing and communication
  • The overall management

Higginson Park managed to pass the panel with flying colours, and joined six other parks in picking up a Green Flag award.

The other venues were Bedgrove Park (Aylesbury), Black Park Country Park (Wexham), Heartlands (Buckingham), Hughenden Park (High Wycombe), The Rye (High Wycombe), and Vale Park (Aylesbury).

Clive Harriss, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, said: “It’s fantastic news that seven of our parks have won Green Flag Awards – the international quality mark for parks and green spaces.

“The seven awards are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the teams that care for the green spaces so that residents and visitors can enjoy them all year round.”

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

The scheme is linked to Keep Britain Tidy – a charity formed in 1960 to try and clamp down on litter within the country.

This comes after Buckinghamshire Council revealed it costs the tax player in the county roughly £3.5m to ‘clean and dispose of littered waste’.

Additionally, £25,000 is spent every time the council clears litter from the A404 Marlow by-pass.

The figure is based on the costs of ‘traffic management’ to make sure that the area is ‘safe’ for the workers to use on a ‘dangerous stretch of road’.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, added: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved at Buckinghamshire Council on achieving the Green Flag Awards.

 “These parks are vital green spaces for communities in Buckinghamshire to socialise, enjoy nature, for children to play safely and it provides important opportunities for park users to improve their physical and mental health.”