20 best Fylde coast parks and green spaces are announced as 2026 Green Flag Award winners
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Green spaces across Lancashire celebrate achieving the international quality standard for parks but new research suggests Britain’s ‘Green Divide’ is widening
292 parks and green spaces in the North West have reached the high standards required to receive a coveted Green Flag Award as environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy celebrates the 30th anniversary of the scheme.
An impressive 75 in Lancashire are among a record 2,391 UK sites celebrating their achievement, with newcomers including Claremont Park in Blackpool Council and Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Garden in Fylde,
Eighteen green spaces in the North West, including Chorley’s Rivington Terraced Gardens, also achieved a Green Heritage Award, while 33, including Preston’s Haslam Park and Local Nature Reserve, were awarded the Green Flag Community Award.
Which Lancashire parks/green spaces have been awarded Green Flag awards?
Parks managed by Blackpool Council: Anchorsholme Park; Claremont Park; Crossland Road Park; Devonshire Road Rock Garden; Highfield Road Park; Kingscote Park; Stanley Park; Watson Road Park
Parks managed by Burnley Borough Council: Ightenhill Park; Padiham Memorial Park; Queen’s Park; Scott Park; Thompson Park; Towneley Park
Parks managed by Canal & River Trust: Greenberfield to Barrowford Leeds and Liverpool Canal; Lancaster Canal
Parks managed by Chorley Council: Astley Park; Carr Brook Nature Reserve; Coronation Recreation Ground Chorley; Harper Recreation Ground; Rangletts Recreation Ground; Tatton Recreation Ground; Withnell Local Nature Reserve; Yarrow Valley Country Park
Parks managed by Fylde Borough Council: Ashton Gardens; Elswick; Fairhaven Lake and Gardens; Lowther Gardens; Lytham War Memorial and Garden; Promenade Gardens; Queen Victorias Diamond.
Parks managed by Hyndburn Borough Council: Accrington Cemetery and Crematorium; Cutwood Park; Gatty Park; Lowerfold Park; Memorial Park; Mercer Park; Milnshaw Park; Oakhill Park; Peel Park; Rhyddings Park; Wilsons & Woodlands
Parks managed by Lancaster City Council: Happy Mount Park; Regent Park Morecambe; Ryelands Park Lancaster; Torrisholme Cemetery; Williamson Park; Lancaster University
Parks managed by Pendle Borough Council: Barrowford Park; Heyhead Park; Marsden Park; Valley Gardens; Victoria Park (Nelson); Walverden Park
Parks managed by Preston City Council: Ashton Park; Avenham and Miller Parks; Fishwick Bottoms; Haslam Park; Winckley Square Gardens
Parks managed by Rivington Heritage Trust with Groundwork: Rivington Terraced Gardens
Parks managed by Rossendale Borough Council: Hempsteads Memorial Gardens; Library Gardens; Stubbylee and Moorlands Park; Whitworth Memorial Gardens
Parks managed by South Ribble Borough Council: Farington Park; Hurst Grange Park; Longton Brickcroft Nature Reserve; Withy Grove Park; Worden Park
Parks managed by West Lancashire Borough Council: Beacon Country Park; Coronation Park
Parks managed by Wyre Council: Memorial Park; The Mount; Vicarage Park; Wyre Estuary Country Park - Stanah Picnic Site; Hawthorne Park (managed by Wyre Council & Hawthorne Park Trust)
A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available here.
What is the wider significance of these awards?
The Green Flag Award is the international benchmark for quality, recognising sites that meet rigorous standards for safety, accessibility, environmental management and community engagement.
Today’s announcement comes as startling research by the charity reveals shocking levels of inequality of access to safe, well maintained green spaces, despite the proven benefits of parks and nature to people's wellbeing and quality of life.
A YouGov survey of more than 2,000 UK adults found stark differences in the quality and safety of local green spaces between the richest and poorest areas in the country, with just 27% of people in the most deprived areas nationally describing their local park as ‘safe’, compared to 46% in the least deprived areas.
Keep Britain Tidy is calling on local authorities to prioritise investment in parks in areas of greatest deprivation and to use the Green Flag Award as a benchmark standard to drive improvement.
What has been said about the awards?
Paul Todd MBE, Green Flag Award Manager at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Parks are essential public spaces that support our wellbeing, our communities and our economy. Yet for millions of people, particularly in the most deprived areas, local parks simply don’t feel safe or welcoming.
“In an age of rising concern about community cohesion, young people’s wellbeing and time spent online, safe local parks are becoming more important than ever. Yet the communities who need them the most are sadly the least likely to have them.
“With public services under pressure, investing in parks is not a luxury, it’s a practical, preventative solution and one of the most visible ways councils can improve people’s quality of life.
“Every pound invested in a park, particularly in a deprived community, delivers real returns - improving wellbeing, bringing communities together, reducing loneliness, giving people somewhere safe and free to spend time and, ultimately, reducing pressure on public services like the NHS.
“Today’s Green Flag Award winners show what can be achieved when parks are properly supported and managed. As we celebrate 30 years of the Green Flag Award, we want every community to have access to green spaces that are safe, welcoming and maintained to the highest standards.”
Summary of research findings: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,004 UK adults, including 214 in the North West. Fieldwork was undertaken between June 18 and 19, 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults aged 18+.