Green flag award NOT GREEN

It is beyond belief that Bute Park deserved a green flag award this year...Scandalous! The award is Not 'green' at all!!! Why are the JUDGES identities a secret even with a FOI request? So we can only conclude that the judges must be politically motivated!!  Are you not aware that After a site special scientific interest was destroyed for a road for lorries After CHAMPION TREES LOPPED BACK FOR LORRIES TO PASS After dozens of tress chopped down for building a theatre and a huge bridge for lorries After promoting events rather than preserving the environment and ecosystem After increasing the number of vehicles in the listed park Absoutely Fails on key criteria such as Sustainability, Conservation and heritage, Community involvement and management!! A disgrace - Green flag award is appearing totally corrupt!

 THE REPLY

 th..

ank you for your comments concerning Bute Park.

Green Flag Award Judges, come from a variety of backgrounds, including ecology, environmental issues, nature conservation, horticulture, community engagement, parks and landscape management and other related disciplines.

All judges are volunteers who give their time freely, and are passionate about quality green spaces that can be enjoyed by everyone. They are independent arbiters of the scheme and ensure that the standards set by the awards are high, and fair. Every judge completes a thorough training course, and new judges are mentored by colleagues who have a number of years experience with the scheme.

The Green Flag Award Judges are asked to assess each green space on the management plan for the site and what they observe and discuss during their visit. The purpose of the scheme is to recognise well managed, quality green spaces that meet the needs of all users. The judges who assessed Bute Park have agreed that the park has met the required standards to merit receiving an award this year. A decision that the Green Flag Plus Partnership fully supports and endorses.

As a charity established as a private company, Keep Britain Tidy is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, and as such we are not required to respond to requests made under this act. We do, however, aim to respond to as many requests as possible. On this occasion you are asking for personal data and as such I must adhere to the rules set out in the Data Protection Act, which therefore prevents me from supplying the information you have requested, which is personal data of the judges.

Please let me assure you that from my own personal experience of observing the judging of a park, I am totally confident that the judges have made a full, robust and completely unbiased assessment of Bute Park, and that the decision to award a Green Flag is the correct one.

We have noted your comments concerning Bute Park, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further concerns about parks and green spaces in your local area.
Yours sincerely

Lynsey Atherton

Public Information Officer

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Keep Britain Tidy

Elizabeth House

The Pier

Wigan

WN3 4EX

Telephone: 01942 612602

Fax: 01942 824778

E-mail: enquiries@keepbritaintidy.org

Website: www.keepbritaintidy.org

The fight for Rumney Recreation Gropund

'We fight for generations to come'


The Guardian
This is typical, I am told, for the retired salesman who now devotes his time to leading the fight to save the park he loves – the Rumney Recreation Ground. ...

Another big fight agaisnt the Fib Dem/plaid Cymru cardiff council who don't listen to the public and want to destroy Cardiff Green spaces!!!

Join the Picnic in the park!

Dear All -passing on news of an 'event' in Bute Park!!!

Please could you advertise this in any way you can:

A few of us are having a picnic party to celebrate having such a wonderful park to use. The venue will be on our fantastic new bridge and the time will be between 11pm-3pm on Wednesday the 14th of July.

Why you may be wondering would we do such a thing. Well my merry friends during that week there will be one of the largest private parties in the park that has hit our beloved victorian green space in its history. Three music tents, 60 bands and £25 entrance fee. We need to remind our glorious leaders that there are some people who feel that such events go against the spirit of the parks covenant and that a free public park is just that, free.

I look forward to seeing you all there and hopefully we can have an awesome time catching up with each other and sipping tea with a back drop of trees and HGV's.

Oh and as more is always merrier please spread the word to all you now, even if you decide not to come. We will have some bunting and food but bring some yourselves and make it a picnic to bring joy to a harsh bridge.