Ripon Spa Gardens once again holds the region’s record for the number of Green Flags it holds with the announcement on 24 July that they have been awarded another.

Ripon Spa Gardens

In 2001, these delightful gardens in the centre of Ripon City were the only park in Yorkshire and Humber to attain this accolade. They have kept up the standard by being annually awarded a Green Flag ever since.

A Green Flag is the national award for high standards in public open spaces. The judges look for parks and open spaces which have a high quality landscape; are welcoming, safe, clean and well maintained. They also look for those that are sustainable and also involve the local community.

Councillor Pat Jones, Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Cultural Services, is delighted with this award. She said: “This eighth successful award is a wonderful achievement and certainly recognises the care and attention to detail which this small park gets. Many people use the gardens and it is a treat to see the whole family out enjoying the facilities on offer. I do hope that those residents and visitors who haven’t visited the gardens for a while will pop along and see just how special they are. I would like to congratulate everyone from the council’s own team to the many volunteers who work alongside them through the Spa Gardens Forum. We also get a tremendous amount of support from the Ripon Girl Guiding Division.”

This eighth successful award is a wonderful achievement and certainly recognises the care and attention to detail which this small park gets.

Pat Jones - Harrogate Borough Council

In their report, the judges said:

Staff show a commitment to Spa Gardens. This appears at all levels. There are high standards of horticultural displays which are a credit to the team as well as close links with the local community. There is a healthy bowling club who are appreciative of improvements and management of the Gardens. There is also good consideration of style of replacement railings and stonework and we particularly liked how floral displays are linked to the local cultural heritage.