Green Flag & Green Heritage Site Awards 2009 - 2010

NGAG is pleased to announce that Newington Green has again been given both the Green Flag and Green Heritage Site Awards for 2009 - 2010. This is the third year running that the Green has received both awards. Newington Green was one of just 46 sites in the UK that received the Green Heritage Site Award this year.

The Green Flag Award is given to the best green spaces in the country that actively includes community involvement. The prestigious Green Heritage Award is sponsored by English Heritage.  In order to become a Green Heritage Site, each green space is judged on how well its heritage value has been conserved or enhanced, and how much the people who use it understand and enjoy its historic character, appearance and features.

The judge, when he came to assess the Green, was particularly impressed by NGAG's new book about the history of Newington Green by Alex Allardyce, called 'The Village that Changed the World', as it illustrates quite clearly that one essential criteria for the award was being met.

The award ceremony took place in Bournemouth and Hilary King collected the awards on behalf of NGAG, along with representatives from other award-winning Islington parks. In all, Islington won 8 Green Flag Awards, 2 Green Pennants and 1 Green Heritage Site Award.

Newington Green itself is in Islington, and it is LBI Greenspace that manages the Green. Of course the Unitarian Church and other buildings on the north side of the Green are actually in Stoke Newington and Hackney, so it was good to see that Hackney also did well, with Clissold Park being one of the sites receiving a Green Flag.