The district has held on to all four of its Green Flag Awards for open spaces at Clacton Seafront Gardens, Weeley Crematorium and Gardens, Cliff Park in Dovercourt and Crescent Gardens in Frinton.
Within their assessment of the sites, judges described Weeley Crematorium as “a site Tendring can be very proud of”.
Michael Talbot, Tendring District Council (TDC) Cabinet Member for Environment, praised the work of both authority staff and volunteers – including local In Bloom teams – for their work to maintain the spaces.
“In a year where we have continued to re-discover open spaces on our door step during Covid-19 restrictions, having quality parks and gardens has been more important than ever,” Councillor Talbot said.
“It has also been more challenging than ever to keep these spaces looking at the best, so I am particularly proud of our officers and the army of volunteers who work so hard to achieve this.
“Winning – and keeping – a Green Flag is no mean feat, so hats off to all involved.”
Clacton Seafront Gardens won its first Green Flag in 2009, with Frinton’s Crescent Gardens joining its ranks the following year. Weeley Crematorium’s grounds received a Green Flag in 2013, while Cliff Park was first awarded the flag in 2016.
Awarded by Keep Britain Tidy, Green Flags assess not only the visual aspects of a site, such as its beauty, horticulture and cleanliness, but also community involvement, access and management, and are a sign of quality. It is the 25th year of the awards, which are celebrating their Silver Jubilee.
Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making Tendring’s sites worthy of a Green Flag Award.
“To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure that these four venues have high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and are places that support people to live healthy lives.”
Anyone interested in volunteering to look after a public open space in Tendring can contact Sean Biswell, TDC’s Temporary Community and Volunteer Projects Manager, on 07786 660603 or at seanbiswell@tendringdc.gov.uk.
Find out more about the Green Flag Awards at www.greenflagaward.org.