Mayo County Council welcomes the awarding of six prestigious recognised Green Flags for the county. The Jackie Clarke Collection Heritage Garden, Ballina, and Turlough Park were both announced as winners at an awards ceremony in Maynooth University.
Two community gardens in Mayo, Ballina Karen Community Garden and Kilmaine Community Garden, the North Mayo Heritage Centre in Enniscoe, Ballina and the Wild Nephin Ballycroy National Park, were also awarded the Green Flag. The Green Flag Award is a mark of a quality park or green space and is recognised throughout the world.
The awards are judged every year by a peer jury of green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability, and community involvement.
In Ireland the Green Flag Award for Parks Scheme has been enthusiastically received by park management as it delivers major wins for the delivery of quality green spaces by respective parks and park departments. These include: (1 ) The promotion and reward for best practice management; (2 ) Creation of a plan for improvements and future works; (3 ) The building of a collaborative network of park management nationally and (4 ) The implementation of environmental sustainability within park management.
Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, Peter Hynes, welcomed the announcement, saying: "These flags are a sign to the public that Mayo boasts the very highest environmental standards which are maintained year round. It’s a mark of how much love and care there is for parks and green spaces in our county that we receive these green flags."
Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Brendan Mulroy added: "Communities, volunteers, friends and council staff all put a lot of work into maintaining and ensuring that we can all enjoy visiting our parks. Well done to everyone because the Green Flags are a badge of excellence that we can all be proud of."
