Whiteknights campus voted third best green space in the UK!

Wednesday, 21 November 2012

The Green Flag judges were particularly impressed by the involvement of both staff, students and the local community in the upkeep of the Harris Garden

The University's Whiteknights campus has once again been voted one of the best green spaces in the country following a nationwide public poll.

The campus has been ranked number three out of nearly 1,500 public spaces eligible to be voted in the People's Choice Award as part of the Green Flag scheme, which is one place higher than last year. It is also the most highly rated university green space.

All Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces were entered into the annual poll with the public asked to vote for their favourite - many thanks to everyone who voted! We received our second Green Flag Award earlier this year in recognition of the well-maintained and well-managed campus.

Judges were impressed by the 134-hectare site which contains wooded areas, open meadows, a lake, shrubs and borders and county standard sports pitches. They also paid special tribute to the University grounds team's ‘dedication', ‘enthusiasm' and their ‘willingness to go the extra mile'. 

Paul Todd, Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, said: "Whiteknights is clearly a site that people love, and unique in that it's not only used by students and staff but also the local community who live close to the campus and local schools. This is exactly what we're looking for in Green Flag sites; one that serves and benefits the whole community. The campus is a particularly complex site to manage, but the team do an excellent job."

Steve Boon, Head of Grounds and Building Maintenance, said: "We're delighted to have done so well in the People's Choice Award this year. The award is testament to the commitment of our dedicated grounds team, as well as our staff, student, community and volunteer groups who work alongside them to help us maintain the campus to such a high standard."

The Green Flag Award scheme, organised by Keep Britain Tidy, is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the UK. Grounds management, innovation and the way facilities are tailored to the needs of the community are taken into account.