Worthing parks and gardens among the best green spaces in Britain

Three parks and gardens in Worthing were today (Tuesday, July 18th) named among the best in Britain.

Beach House Park, Field Place and Highdown Gardens, which are owned by Worthing Borough Council, are among a record 1,797 UK parks and green spaces to receive a prestigious Green Flag Award.

The announcement of the awards coincides with Love Parks Week, a Keep Britain Tidy initiative to celebrate the country’s love of parks.

The international Green Flag Award, now in its third decade and also run by Keep Britain Tidy, recognises green spaces that:

·         Have the highest possible environmental standards

·         Are beautifully maintained and

·         Have excellent visitor facilities.

Beach House Park, near Worthing Hospital, receives a Green Flag for the first time. As well as its glorious flowerbeds, hanging baskets and herbaceous borders, the park boasts bowling greens of international standard and the charming Palm Court Pavilion cafe.

Field Place in The Boulevard gains its award for the third year running. With displays of colourful seasonal bedding plants and impressive shrubs, facilities include tennis, bowls, croquet and a popular wedding venue.

Highdown Gardens, known as Worthing’s hidden gem, has been flying the Green Flag for more than a decade. Nestling in the chalk hillside above the town, the stunning gardens are so important that they are a designated National Collection. They have also just marked the 50th anniversary of the death of Sir Frederick Stern, the man who created them.

Councillor Diane Guest, Worthing’s Executive Member for Environment, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to receive a Green Flag Award for all three sites. We have worked very hard to manage these important parks and gardens for the people of Worthing to high standards, and are very pleased that this has been recognised with this award.

“These are special places where we work closely with our community who have a significant input into how we steward our natural resources and help influence how they are shaped.”

International Green Flag Award scheme manager Paul Todd said:

“We are delighted to be celebrating another record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award scheme. Each flag is a celebration of the thousands of staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.

“The success of the scheme, especially in these challenging times, demonstrates just how much parks matter to people.”

The glorious grounds at Highdown Gardens

The Mayor of Worthing, Councillor Alex Harman, planting a tree at Highdown last week to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the gardens’ creator, Sir Frederick Stern. With him are Interim Head Gardener Gary Prescod and Mark Bodicoat as Bottom from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which was performed at Highdown last week as part of its summer series of open air productions