More than 2,000 parks, gardens and green spaces across the UK and beyond have been announced as 2025 Green Flag Award winners, marking a record-breaking year for the internationally recognised quality standard.
A total of 2,250 locations achieved Green Flag status in 2025 — the highest number ever recorded by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, which manages the scheme. The Green Flag Award is widely regarded as the benchmark for excellence in the management of parks and green spaces.
A boat descending the Green Flag award-winning Foxton Locks. PHOTO: CRT
Of the successful sites, 138 also received Green Heritage Site Accreditation, which recognises the sensitive management of historic features. This accreditation is supported in England by Historic England. In addition, 464 of the awarded sites are managed by voluntary and community groups, highlighting the vital role of local involvement in protecting green infrastructure.
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Congratulating this year’s winners, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Through the Green Flag Award and our campaigning as a charity, we will continue to advocate for good quality green infrastructure that maximises benefits for people and nature, whether that’s through exercise and wellbeing, or playing a part in helping us mitigate and adapt to some of the effects of our changing climate.
“The Green Flag Award sets the standard for caring for these sites amid growing recognition that our green spaces can be part of the climate solution.
Belper River Gardens, in Derbyshire. PHOTO: ALAN MURRAY-RUST – CC BY-SA 2.0
“We know that the plants and trees help mitigate harmful carbon emissions that are driving climate change. They act as cooling havens as we face hotter, drier summers and play an important part in climate change adaptation and mitigation, including helping to reduce incidences of flooding.”
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Among the many sites to receive accreditation is Belper River Gardens, a public park in the Derbyshire town of Belper, bordered by the River Derwent. Now managed by Amber Valley Borough Council, the park’s history dates back to 1905, when the Belper Boating Association was formed. Prominent local businessman George Herbert Strutt agreed to develop an osier bed for his mill beside the River Derwent, alongside the construction of a boathouse and landing stage. The project proved so successful that additional land was made available and landscaped, including the creation of a riverside promenade.
The Royal Military Canal, at Hythe. PHOTO: LOZ FLOWERS – CC BY-SA 2.0
Another long-standing Green Flag recipient is the Royal Military Canal, which runs for 28 miles between Seabrook, near Folkestone, and Cliff End, near Hastings. Constructed between 1804 and 1809 as part of Britain’s Napoleonic defence strategy, the canal has since become an award-winning wildlife haven. It has received a Green Flag Award every year since 2010.
Erika Diaz Petersen, principal national landscape adviser at Historic England, said: “We congratulate this year’s winners for their achievements in reaching Green Flag Award standards for looking after our vital green infrastructure.
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“Heritage is at the heart of our green infrastructure networks, from public parks to our canal network, providing crucial benefits for people and nature, and a critical resource for climate resilience.
“Historic England is pleased to support Green Heritage Site Accreditation, which recognises the achievements of Green Flag Award winners who meet additional criteria and care for, share and celebrate the heritage of their sites.”
Is your favourite spot on the list?
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The Canal & River Trust-managed locations to achieve the status include: Ashton Canal; Birmingham city centre; Bridgwater and Taunton Canal; Calder & Hebble West; Chesterfield Canal (Kiveton Park to West Stockwith); Combs Reservoir; Coventry Canal 5.5; Erewash Canal; Foxton Locks; Gloucester & Sharpness Canal (formerly Saul Junction); Greenberfield to Barrowford, on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal; Huddersfield Narrow Canal; Lancaster Canal; Leeds & Liverpool Canal (Yorkshire); Hanwell Flights; Kennet & Avon Canal; Kidsgrove to Stoke, on the Trent & Mersey Canal; Leamington Spa; Macclesfield Canal; Middlewich to Audlem Canal, plus Shropshire Union Canal Barbridge Junction to National Waterways Museum; Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal; Montgomery Canal; Nottingham and Beeston Canal; Peak Forest Canal; Perry Bar; Pocklington Canal; Revolution Walk (Birmingham Canal Navigation); Ripon Canal; Rochdale Canal; Selby Canal; Sheffield & Tinsley Canal; the River Soar and GU Leicester Line (Loughborough to Kilby Bridge); Saddleworth (Huddersfield Narrow Canal); Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal; the River Stort (formerly Harlow Mill); Stourbridge Canal; Sutton Reservoir; Tees Barrage Park; Trent & Mersey Canal; Trentham & Stone; Walsall Flight & Basin; Weaver Navigation (Runcorn to Winsford); and Wolverhampton Lock Flight. The CRT’s Lancaster Canal, Trent & Mersey Canal, and Weaver Navigation also achieved Green Heritage Site Accreditation.
Also included in the list are: the Hollingwood Hub (Chesterfield Canal Trust); Canal Fields, Dacorum; Castlefield’s Canal & River Park; St Neots Riverside Park; River Lee Country Park; Rickmansworth Aquadrome Local Nature Reserve; Hatch End Riverside Park; Tyne Riverside Country Park (Prudhoe and Wylam); Macclesfield Riverside Park; River Hamble Country Park; Whatman Park (Millennium River Park); Riverside Country Park, Gillingham; Riverside Park, Southampton; Riverside Park, Worcester; Riverside Nature Park, Dundee; Riverside Park Compassionate Friends Garden and Heather Garden, Perth; Grand Western Canal Country Park, Devon; and Ury Riverside Park.
Regents Canal, between Limehouse Basin and Mile End Road, Riverside Gardens Llangammarch, and Swansea Canal were among the locations honoured with Green Flag Community Awards.
Read the entire list of award winners here: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/local-authorities/improve-public-spaces/green-flag-award
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