Sutton’s parks win record number of awards

Sutton Council and Friends of Parks groups are celebrating this week after receiving a record twelve Green Flag Awards covering thirty parks in the borough.

The news that Sutton has achieved the awards - the international quality standard
for parks and green spaces - is a mark of the hard work and dedication of all the teams that
care for Sutton’s green spaces so that visitors and residents can enjoy them.

All of Sutton’s previously-awarded parks and open spaces have kept their Green Flag status and have now been joined by Quarry Park in West Sutton. The impressive score of 30 Green Flag parks means that most Sutton residents are now just a short distance from an award-winning green space and all the proven health and social benefits they bring.

The borough’s green spaces also provide food and habitat for birds and insects, boosting biodiversity and increasing tree cover, which supports the Council’s efforts to take action on climate change. 

Councillor Christopher Woolmer, Chair of Sutton Council’s Environment Committee, said:
“It’s fantastic news that a record number of our parks have been given prestigious Green Flag status. We know that one of the main reasons our residents love living in Sutton - and why more and more people are choosing to move to the borough - is our incredible parks.

“A Green Flag flying in a Sutton park is a sign to our residents that it boasts the highest possible standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent facilities.

“None of this recognition would be possible if it weren’t for the incredible efforts of our Friends groups, volunteers, the Council’s Parks Service and our contractor Idverde. These awards are a tribute to their work day in, day out in all weathers.”

Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said: 
“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in Sutton on achieving the Green Flag Awards.

“We know that staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that these sites maintain the high standards of the Green Flag Award. Everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their achievement.”

ENDS

Note to Editors
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under
licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the
management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

Below is the full list of parks in Sutton that have received the Green Flag Award in 2024:

• Beddington Park
• Manor Gardens
• Guy Road Rec
• Riverside Walk
• The Grange
• Lakeside
• Elm Grove
• Bowmans Meadow
• Oaks Park
• Carshalton Park
• Carshalton Place
• The Spinney
• The Grove Park
• Festival Walk
• Margarets Pool
• Carshalton War Memorial
• The Ecology Centre
• Rosehill Park  East
• Rosehill Park West
• St Helier Open Space
• Middleton Open Space
• Revesby Wood
• Poulter Park
• Manor Park
• Overton Park
• Queen Mary’s Park
• Sutton Common Park
• Cheam Park
• Cheam Rec
• Quarry Park