Wallingford Castle Meadows receives Green Flag Award for 15th year
This summer we celebrate the continued recognition of our ability to connect communities with the natural world, after receiving a Green Flag Award for Wallingford Castle Meadows. This is the 15th consecutive Green Flag award, and the 9th year in a row that Wallingford Castle Meadows is receiving Green Heritage Site accreditation with support from Historic England, for the management of its conspicuous historic features, which includes the remains of one of the greatest medieval castles in England.
Our work at Castle Meadows
Earth Trust manages Wallingford Castle Meadows in partnership with South Oxfordshire District Council. The prestigious Green Flag award, managed by Keep Britain Tidy, is widely acknowledged as the international quality mark for parks and green spaces. Recognition as part of the scheme requires high standards of management to be upheld; making the lineage of the award status a valuable acknowledgement of Earth Trust’s mindful and measured approach to land management.
Green spaces: from leisure to lifeline
Our Senior Ranger Tim Read maintains these rich meadows as diverse green spaces for people to enjoy, with the help of a group of dedicated volunteers. Tim had this to say about the award: “After two years that have seen parks and green spaces play a vital role for people as a place to relax, exercise and connect with their community, it’s a real thrill to receive official recognition for the hard work and dedication of the team that make Castle Meadows a great space for everyone to enjoy.”
Earth Trust CEO Jayne Manley also commented on what this year’s award means for the charity: “We are thrilled that in our 40th year, Castle Meadows has again received recognition for the work we do to ensure the local community can access and enjoy this magical green space full of nature and heritage. In 2022, with the launch of our new strategy we are more dedicated than ever to the connection between our past and future.
Our vision is a society where accessible, engaging green spaces like this one, enable nature and people to thrive in balance. We are passionate about the power of green spaces and our bold new strategic direction has local communities at its heart. So if you are a visitor to Wallingford Castle Meadows and care about the work we are doing to manage spaces like this – not just at a practical level but also in terms of cutting edge research, advocacy and community engagement, please join our circle of people wanting to see and be a part of change! Thank you to the Green Flag Award Scheme, and South Oxfordshire District Council for your continued support.”
Collaboration in action
Commenting on the news that Wallingford Castle Meadows has once again met the Green Flag Award standard, Keep Britain Tidy’s Accreditation Manager Paul Todd said: “I would like to congratulate everyone at Earth Trust involved in making Wallingford Castle Meadow worthy of a Green Flag Award.
Castle Meadows is a vital green space for the community in Oxfordshire. This award is testament to all the hard work of staff and volunteers at the organisation, who do so much to ensure that it maintains the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.”
A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available here.