The Corporation is celebrating after receiving six gold awards at this year’s London in Bloom competition.
West Ham Park, the largest green space in Newham, and managed by the City Corporation since 1874, was awarded gold and named category winner for large park of the year.
Also taking home gold in the large park of the year category were Queens Park, which dates from 1887, and Golders Hill Park in north London.
In addition, the Hill Garden in Hampstead Heath was awarded gold and named category winner for small park of the year award, and the nearby Pergola received gold in the walled garden of the year award.
Comprising over 180 parks, gardens and churchyards within the Square Mile, the City Gardens also won gold and received overall winner in the town category.
The Corporation manages over 11,000 acres of open space across London and southeast England.
In July this year, the organisation took home 15 Green Flag Awards, with 13 of these also receiving Green Heritage Award status in recognition of their historic features and high standard of conservation.
In addition, the City Corporation recently collected the World Urban Parks Legacy Award on behalf of the capital – the first ever city-wide award, given in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the preservation, management, and enhancement of London’s urban green spaces.
Chair of the Corporation’s Natural Environment Board and West Ham Park Committee, Caroline Haines, said:
“Our parks and open spaces are widely recognised as some of the very best managed in the world.
“Results like these are a testament to the knowledge, passion, and dedication of all our staff and volunteers, who work all year round to keep them looking their best.
“Our network of parks, forests, heaths, and commons are a lifeline for so many people, especially in more urban areas, where they are widely considered people’s ‘back gardens’. They are places to relax, play sport, swim, learn, or simply spend time in nature, and their value to society is priceless.”
Chair of the Corporation’s Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee, William Upton KC, said:
“It is great to see the work on these parks being acknowledged at the national level. Queens Park, Golders Hill Park, the Hill Garden, and the Pergola, are each in their own way local jewels that deserve a wide audience. We are fortunate to be guardians of some highly cherished green spaces.
“These awards reflect the City Corporation’s commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to outdoor spaces, and to experience the beauty, tranquillity, and benefits they offer. They are a vital resource, not only for biodiversity and environmental sustainability, but also for our health and wellbeing.”
The City Corporation’s commitment to protecting green spaces dates back to the 1870s in response to the rapid disappearance of many public open areas – often to private developers – by starting an ambitious project to safeguard these vital sites.
Today, they play a crucial role in boosting physical wellbeing and mental health, tackling climate change, and benefitting tens of thousands of school children a year through education programmes.
They include a variety of critically important wildlife habitats, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Areas of Conservation, and National Nature Reserves, and are protected under legislation.
In total, they attract over 47 million visitors every year – over three times the number who go to Premier League football matches every season, and almost eight times the number of annual visitors to the Grand Canyon.
They are home to 58,000 ancient trees and capture over 16,000 tonnes of carbon
from the atmosphere every year, making them an important part of the City Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy.
The Corporation spends £38 million a year on maintaining its open spaces. Many of these sites operate as charitable trusts and are run at little or no cost to the communities they serve.
A recent report revealed that the network of internationally important open spaces managed by the City Corporation are worth £282.6 million each year in benefits to society, and £8.1 billion over 50 years.
That same report found that the recreational and health benefits of the City Gardens within the Square Mile, as a collective, were the highest out of the entire portfolio of City Corporation-owned open spaces.
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile, dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK – .
For more information about London in Bloom visit www.londoninbloom.co.uk.
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