Tabard Gardens gains Green Flag award for first time

The national award, handed out by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognises and rewards the best parks and green spaces across the country.

Southwark now has 17 parks and open spaces with the Green Flag award, including Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park and Bermondsey Spa Gardens.

"We are absolutely delighted to receive new Green Flag awards for Burgess Park, Belair Park and Tabard Gardens," said Cllr Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling.

"This award recognises and highlights that people in Southwark are benefitting from green spaces of the very highest quality."

On the Lambeth side of SE1, Archbishop's Park and the churchyard of St John's Waterloo retained their Green Flag status.

Cllr Sally Prentice, Lambeth's cabinet member for culture, said: "We have been working all year round with our parks friends groups to ensure Green Flag standards and to keep them there. Being awarded Green Flag is a huge achievement, but with the tough criteria retaining them from year to year is equally impressive.

"What really makes the difference between a good park and a great park is the role played by local people. We simply couldn't have achieved these awards without the commitment of our dedicated Parks Friends Groups.

"To build on this long history of working successfully with residents Lambeth Council launched the Cooperative Parks Programme last month to help make our 60 parks and open spaces even better places to relax and play sport."