Going Natural’ small parks can still win an award! 

Sefton Councillors Ian Moncur and Ian Maher at Kings Gardens play area

“Don’t worry!” Formby and Southport residents are being reassured. Having a closed-down playground will not bar you from winning a prize.

Residents of Formby and Southport can be clear that just because the Council has taken all their play equipment away, does not bar them from entering the annual ‘Green Flag’ People’s Choice award. Anyone in the Borough of Sefton can nominate their own local favourite bits of green space online at www.greenflagaward.com .

Some residents in Formby’s Smithy Green and Southport’s Ovingdon Drive areas could be worried that having no play equipment on their mini-parks might make them ineligible for the award but far from it. Keep Britain Tidy, who run the award, emphasise that all sorts of greenspaces, formal and informal are equally eligible to be considered. It is all down to how much local people love their own patch. So any local park or play area which is being allowed to ‘go natural’ according to Sefton Council’s policy for smaller parks is still ‘in with a shout’ of winning an award.

Iain Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing, whose department recently closed down the Smithy Green and Ovingdon Drive play areas due to concerns over potentially dangerous equipment, says:

“This is a great chance to show how much your favourite park means to you,”

Local residents have only four more days till the deadline of September 30th to vote for your favourite local greenspace.