Friday, August 18, 2006

MILKWOOD GREEN FLAG

Green Flag award makes Milkwood Community Park a high flier

25 July 2006

Milkwood Community Park has won a prestigious Green Flag award - a nationally recognised standard for the quality management of parks and open spaces. The award demonstrates Lambeth Council's commitment to making all of its public green spaces clean, green, safe and welcoming for everybody.

For many years the small but popular green space, located between Brixton, Camberwell and Herne Hill, was unimaginative in design and layout, with few if any facilities for play, sport or relaxation.

Milkwood Community Park now provides locals and visitors alike with a delightful balance between the needs for a place to play and exercise, and space to relax and escape the demands of busy urban life.

It offers a wide range of facilities for all age groups and interests. As well as landscaped areas and new fencing, the park contains a new children?s playground, ball games court, seating, shelters and informal play areas.

The Park could not have been brought to its current splendour without the active support of local residents, represented by the Milkwood Tenants and Residents Association, as well as local housing providers such as London & Quadrant, and of course the many charities and organisations which funded its restoration and improvement for present and future generations.

Councillor Lib Peck, Cabinet member for Environment and Culture said: "This is Lambeth?s first Green Flag award, and we hope that this becomes the first of many awards for our treasured parks and green spaces. The community have worked tirelessly with us to upgrade their park, so the Green Flag recognition is well deserved."

Chair of the Milkwood Tenants and Residents Association, Maude Estwick said: "I am delighted that this community park is being honoured with the green flag. this shows that even a small and neglected open space can be transformed when the Council and the community work together.

For young people, particularly, the park is their "front room" in the summer but they have nowhere to go in the winter and our next task is to buy the church hall and create a community cafe, youth and other facilities."

Green Flags are only awarded to sites where there is a clear evidence of a commitment by and involvement of both the local authority and community to not only maintaining the tough standards set by Green Flag, but also sustaining them into the future.

The council continues to work with local people and park users to continue these improvements, including the development of a new community centre and further landscaping.

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