Green Flag of success
Monday July 20, 2009
Picture: Margravine Cemetery
Three of the borough’s most beautiful parks are flying a green flag of success after being named amongst the country’s best open spaces.
Ravenscourt Park, Frank Banfield Park and Margravine Cemetery have all won prestigious Green Flag Awards, putting them on a par with the best parks in England and Wales. These are the first ever Green Flag awards achieved in Hammersmith & Fulham.
The Green Flag Award is the national standard for parks and is managed by Keep Britain Tidy. Hammersmith and Fulham Council has pumped more than £6 million into its many picturesque parks and open spaces and these awards recognise the council’s commitment to ensuring its parks have excellent facilities and are maintained to the highest standard possible all year round.
Cllr Paul Bristow, cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “This is absolutely wonderful news for Hammersmith & Fulham. Our ParkLife campaign has shown all residents just how highly we value our parks and to win three Green Flag Awards really is out of this world. Winning one award would have been fantastic; Winning two would have been extraordinary, but to win three awards at the same time is practically unheard of.”
To win these Green Flag Awards, the council had to present a management plan to demonstrate that each park is welcoming, healthy, safe, clean and well-maintained. In addition, the council had to prove that management of each site is carried out in an environmentally sound manner, with conservation of natural features, wildlife and historic buildings.
Most importantly, the council had to demonstrate how residents are involved in their local park. Hammersmith & Fulham has been instrumental in establishing ‘Friends of’ groups which enable local residents to sustain and enhance their park as a place of natural beauty and public pleasure in partnership with local authorities.
The borough’s many parks and open spaces have been looking even more pristine since the council teamed up with award-winning grounds maintenance experts Quadron Services in May 2008. Quadron has a proven track record in delivering improvements to parks, open spaces and housing areas throughout the country.
Cllr Bristow added: “I think that we can all agree that all of our parks are looking in fantastic condition this summer and it is no wonder that we have won three Green Flag Awards."
Margravine Cemetery in Barons Court has long been regarded as one of the borough’s most beautiful open spaces. This Cemetery was opened in 1869 and over 83,000 burials have taken place since then. It is now closed to burials except into existing family graves. In present times, the position of the Cemetery means it has become a busy thoroughfare from Barons Court Tube to Charing Cross Hospital, and has a very active Friends Group.
The cemetery’s rich variety of trees attracts at least 25 species of bird, including the great spotted woodpecker, the long tailed tit and the goldfinch.
The council has worked hard to spruce up the cemetery recently. Work has included planting flowers such as hydrangeas and geraniums, extending hedges, re-tarmaccing the path and painting the gates. The Friends of Margravine Cemetery has also been very active in rejuvinating the cemetery and the Green Flag award is in tribute to both their endeavour and that of the council.
Ruth Savery of the Friends of Margravine Cemetery, said: “We are delighted to have worked with the council in achieving a Green Flag Awared - unusual for a council. The judges were impressed not only by the planted and mown parts but equally by the areas of wild flowers and native hedging where wildlife and nature abounds."
Frank Banfield Park in Hammersmith has also seen major improvements recently and was officially reopened in October 2008. It now features a brand new children's play area, attractive new landscaping, improved railings and gates and new benches.
The Hammersmith park, a popular cut-through for residents and workers, is named after a former Mayor and Alderman of the borough.
Doris Banfield, widow of the late Frank Banfield said: “This is fantastic news and I am delighted that the park has won a Green Flag Award. I was only in the park last weekend with my son and we both thought it was looking wonderful."
Ravenscourt Park in the heart of Hammersmith is a scenic green space with tennis courts, basketball court, bowling green, lake and a café. Beyond the café and by the entrance to Paddenswick Road a beautiful walled rose garden is tucked away.
The council has been working hard to reinvigorate flower beds, clean the lake and restore the 100 year old ornamental gates which can be found at the entrance to the walled garden.
For more information on the council's many beautiful parks and open spaces visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/parklife.
