Newquay Orchard has received the Green Flag Award, the international quality mark for parks and green spaces, for the fifth year running! Our seven-acre green space, built by the community, for the community, has been recognised for what it brings to the town.
At a “hoisting of the flag” ceremony attended by Orchard staff, volunteers, learners and members, Charlotte Hill, CEO of Newquay Orchard, had this to say:
I’m delighted that we’ve been awarded a Green Flag for our contribution to sustainability and community. We’re one of a very small number of green spaces in the UK to have been awarded this accolade, and it’s testament to the work that our students and volunteers do, and a reflection of the importance of our space to the community of Newquay… So thank you to everybody who’s been involved, and thank you to Green Flag for recognising our achievement.
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
A space for everyone
Also present to hoist the flag, with the help of volunteer Ludovic Harrison and Growing Futures student Harry Dickinson, was Mayor of Newquay Drew Creek. Drew expressed his appreciation for all the work our learners and volunteers put in to make this such a beautiful and welcoming space for the town:
The Orchard is such a special place within our community, and it’s a space for everyone. It’s only here because of the volunteers and the people who work on this site, and I really want to thank them for allowing us – the community – to share this wonderful space they’ve created over the last decade. I can’t tell you how important a space like this is for people… It’s amazing to be here.
Newquay Orchard is now in its tenth anniversary year, with over a thousand people having volunteered their time here since its inception in 2015. The majority of the site can be enjoyed by the public 24/7.