National Memorial Arboretum recognised with Green Flag Award

The National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire, has been awarded its second Green Flag Award, an international quality mark for parks and green spaces.  The 150-acre garden and woodland site, home to more than 400 memorials commemorating the service of the Armed Forces, emergency services and community and voluntary groups, was first recognised by the scheme in 2021 and in November it was voted as one of the public’s top ten most popular parks and garden spaces as part of the accompanying People’s Choice Awards.

Not content to rest on its laurels, the Arboretum has continued to seek ways to enhance the natural environment, including participating in “No Mow May” to provide habitats for pollinators, and creating a new herb garden for use by the site’s foodservices team, allowing them to cut food miles and reduce waste. As part of a long-term vision to enhance seasonal colour and biodiversity, the Arboretum has also established two documented plant collections, and it is hoped that the Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) trees will be acknowledged as an official new National Collection within the next year.

“Responsibly caring for a 150-acre site is a never-ending task, and our incredible staff and volunteers work relentlessly to keep our grounds in pristine condition, ensuring that we continue to offer a world-class setting for hundreds of thousands of people to explore each year,” said Andy Ansell, Head of Estates. “It was fantastic to receive our first ever Green Flag Award last year, and we have continued to work hard on our improvement plans, ahead of welcoming the judges back again this year. Our inspirational landscape is home to over 400 memorials and we are determined to preserve them for future generations by following sustainable estate management practices.”

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 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. This year, a total of 2,208 Green Flag Awards have been presented across the UK.

“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making the National Memorial Arboretum worthy of a Green Flag Award,” said Paul Todd, Green Flag Award Scheme Manager. “This award is testament to all the hard work of staff and volunteers, who do so much to ensure that it maintains the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.”

A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available here