The 11 Northumberland parks and beaches ranked as some of best in UK

A total of 11 Northumberland parks and beaches have been ranked as some of the best in the whole of the UK.

After being awarded the prestigious Green Flag Awards by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, eleven areas have been recognised as some of the UK’s finest.

The list, which includes delightful spots such as Astley Park, Hexham Parks and Eastwoods Park, was put together by the charity to highlight the very best of the UK’s environmentalism.

A total of 11 unique areas in Northumberland were awarded the prestigious honour, which is seen as a benchmark of quality for a park or green space.

The international award has added the following parks to its alumni, citing these areas as having the highest possible environmental standard.

• Alexandra Park
• Astley Park
• Bolam Lake Country Park
• Carlisle Park
• Coronation Park
• Doctor Pit Park
• Eastwoods Park
• Hexham Parks
• Hirst Park
• Plessey Woods Country Park
• Ridley Park

The environmental body also noted that the areas are each beautifully maintained and featured excellent visitor facilities.

Northumberland County Councillor John Riddle, cabinet member for Local Services said: “Our local parks and green spaces are at the heart of our communities and are very much valued by all who visit them.

“We invest in and work very hard to continually improve our parks and we are delighted to have retained the Green Flag status in eleven parks.

“Each Green Flag Award is a testament to the dedication and hard work that has been put in by our residents and local volunteers and our own staff, towards maintaining the parks to very high standards.”

Keep Britain Tidy’s Accreditation Manager Paul Todd added: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making 11 Northumberland parks worthy of Green Flag Awards.

“They are vital green space for the community in Northumberland. This award is testament to all the hard work of staff and volunteers, who do so much to ensure that they maintain the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.”

The Green Flag Award scheme recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom.