A POPULAR green space in Dorchester has been given a prestigious award, cementing its status as one of the best in the country, for the 14th year in a row.
The Borough Gardens in Dorchester have been recognised again by the Green Flag Award Scheme as one of the very best in the country - joining parks and green spaces as diverse as the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Woodhouse Park in Peterlee and Chiswick Old Cemetery in London.
READ MORE: Old nostalgia pictures of the Borough Gardens in Dorchester
As part of the award, the site's new management plan was reviewed, and the space was assessed against 27 categories - leading to it successfully finishing in the highest possible score band.
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Dorchester mayor, Gareth Jones said: "The staff at the gardens deliver such a glorious display, but to hear the gardens have been awarded a Green Flag - and in the highest possible score band - is fantastic.
"The team have worked hard to ensure the gardens excelled in all eight judging categories such as being a welcoming safe and healthy place, its facilities, the standard of maintenance, environment and biodiversity, and catering for a range of users. To get top marks is a very deserved recognition of their efforts."
Borough Gardens, just off Cornwall Road, joins 2,127 parks and green spaces that have received the prestigious Green Flag Award - the mark of a quality park or green space.
READ MORE: Greenhill Gardens and Sandsfoot Gardens named in list of country’s best green spaces
The success of the gardens come as the international award celebrates reaching its 25th year.
It is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.
Chair of the management committee at Dorchester Town Council, Fiona Kent-Ledger said: "It's fantastic news that the work put in by all the outdoor services team to create and maintain Dorchester’s Borough Gardens has been recognised again with this award.
"The Green Flag designation lets people know the gardens meet a high standard which is applied across the country and internationally too.
"The Town council has invested time and resources into further improvements in the gardens such as the new Hardy’s Rose Garden and will continue to do so. I’m also pleased to be able to say that Management committee recently agreed for the replacement of the existing outdoor gym equipment with new items."
Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said: "I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making Borough Gardens 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 Borough Gardens has high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and is a place that supports people to live healthy lives."
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 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.
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