Celebrating Bushey’s green spaces

Bushey has some of the best parks in the UK after the Hertfordshire Green Flag Awards were given out last month. A Green Flag is a mark of a quality park or green space which is beautifully maintained and has excellent facilities and Hertsmere has the highest number of flags in the county – with six flying high from a total of 42 – there’s one in Borehamwood, two in Potters Bar and three in Bushey. Parks staff, representatives from grounds maintenance contractor John O’Conner and members of some of the friends groups – which play a vital role in making the parks so special – joined other local authorities in celebrating and sharing expertise and best practice. Certificates and flags, which have to be displayed within each green space as part of the conditions of the award, were presented to representatives from each park by Paul Todd, Green Flag Award Scheme Manager at Keep Britain Tidy which runs the scheme on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government. Parks Manager David Smith, said: “We are so proud of our Green Flags and couldn’t do it without the hard work and dedication of our amazing team, contractors, Hertsmere Leisure which manages our parks events and especially the community groups involved. “Parks and green spaces are so important to our communities and have a big impact on everyone’s health and happiness – for instance, within 30 seconds of being in a green space your blood pressure automatically regulates!” Councillor Jean Heywood, Environment Portfolio Holder, added: “The contribution of our volunteers is particularly special and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone involved in Borehamwood Four Parks Friends Group, Friends of Bushey Rose Garden, Friends of Fishers Field, Friends of King George Recreation Ground and Friends of Potters Bar Parks. “We will continue to work hard to maintain these special places where residents can come together to rest, relax, play, exercise and have fun.  Our parks offer a wide range of recreational activities to local people of all ages and best of all they are free to use.” When visiting your local park please use the litter and recycling bins provided and pick up after your dog to help us keep it looking beautiful! Hertsmere’s Green Flags include the King George Recreation Ground in Bushey which has held a Green Flag for 16 years and Fishers Field Nature Reserve in Bushey which has held a Green Flag Community Award for six years in recognition of the work carried out by local volunteers who manage the site in partnership with the council Bushey Rose Garden has held Green Flag ‘Heritage Site Accreditation’ held for four years since its restoration in 2010