Green spaces across the region celebrate achieving the international quality standard

118 parks and green spaces in Yorkshire and the Humber have reached the high standards required to receive a coveted Green Flag Award as environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy celebrates the 30th anniversary of the scheme.

Sites across East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire are among a record 2,391 UK sites celebrating their achievement, with newcomers including:

• Shire Brook Valley – Sheffield City Council 

• Pugneys Country Park – Wakefield Metropolitan District Council 

• University of York Campus Heslington West & Heslington East – The University of York 

• University of Bradford Main Campus – University of Bradford 

• East Herringthorpe Crematorium and Cemetery – Dignity Plc working with Rotherham Council 

• Montagu Hospital – Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

Seven green spaces, including Cliffe Castle Park managed by City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, achieved a Green Heritage Award, while 20, including the Baby Rainbow Memorial Garden in Scunthorpe, were awarded the Green Flag Community Award.

But the announcement comes as startling research by the charity reveals shocking levels of inequality of access to safe, well maintained green spaces, despite the proven benefits of parks and nature to people’s wellbeing and quality of life.

A YouGov survey of more than 2,000 UK adults found stark differences in the quality and safety of local green spaces between the richest and poorest areas in the country, with just 27% of people in the most deprived areas nationally describing their local park as ‘safe’, compared to 46% in the least deprived areas.

Paul Todd MBE, Green Flag Award Manager at Keep Britain Tidy, said:

“Parks are essential public spaces that support our wellbeing, our communities and our economy. Yet for millions of people, particularly in the most deprived areas, local parks simply don’t feel safe or welcoming.

In an age of rising concern about community cohesion, young people’s wellbeing and time spent online, safe local parks are becoming more important than ever. Yet the communities who need them the most are sadly the least likely to have them. 

With public services under pressure, investing in parks is not a luxury, it’s a practical, preventative solution and one of the most visible ways councils can improve people’s quality of life.  

Every pound invested in a park, particularly in a deprived community, delivers real returns – improving wellbeing, bringing communities together, reducing loneliness, giving people somewhere safe and free to spend time and, ultimately, reducing pressure on public services like the NHS. 

Today’s Green Flag Award winners show what can be achieved when parks are properly supported and managed. As we celebrate 30 years of the Green Flag Award, we want every community to have access to green spaces that are safe, welcoming and maintained to the highest standards.”

The Green Flag Award is the international benchmark for quality, recognising sites that meet rigorous standards for safety, accessibility, environmental management and community engagement.  

Keep Britain Tidy is calling on local authorities to prioritise investment in parks in areas of greatest deprivation and to use the Green Flag Award as a benchmark standard to drive improvement. 

A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available here. 

Summary of research findings: 

All UK adults

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,004 UK adults, including 172 in Yorkshire and the Humber. 

Fieldwork was undertaken between June 18 and 19, 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults aged 18+.