Praise for city's finest parks

Easthill Park, Hove Park, Kipling Gardens, Preston Park, St Ann’s Well Gardens, Stoneham Park and The Level have all been awarded prestigious Green Flags for excellence.

The national awards, handed out by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, are given to parks with the highest possible standards which are beautifully maintained and have excellent facilities.

St Ann’s Well Gardens in Hove flies the flag for the 18th year, while Preston Park celebrates a 17th successive year. Easthill Park in Portslade has picked up its 15th award, Hove Park is celebrating a 13th success while Kipling Gardens in Rottingdean has won its 10th award.

Stoneham Park has picked up its 8th award and the Level is flying the a Green Flag for the 4th year running.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chairman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s environment , transport and sustainability committee, said: “It’s fantastic news that we will once again be flying seven Green Flags in parks in Brighton, Hove, Portslade and Rottingdean - a real city-wide success story.

“It’s a fitting tribute to our dedicated staff, friends groups and volunteers who work tirelessly to make sure that the quality is maintained and our parks and gardens are a pleasure to visit all year round.”

International Green Flag Award scheme manager Paul Todd said: “We are delighted to be celebrating another record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award scheme.

“Each flag is a celebration of the thousands of staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award. The success of the scheme, especially in these challenging times, demonstrates just how much parks matter to people.”