APPLICATIONS for the 2016/17 Green Flag Awards are open.

All of the Green Flag Awards categories are open for applications.

In July, Keep Wales Tidy unveiled that a record-breaking 40 community managed green spaces in Wales met the high standard needed to receive the prestigious Green Flag Community Award 2015/16.

Cwmtalwg Local Nature Reserve in Barry is one of the community managed spaces to proudly receive Green Flag status.

The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales. It is judged by an army of green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement.

Vale parks with the Green Flag status include Belle Vue Park and Alexandra Park and Windsor Gardens in Penarth and The Knap, Romilly Park, Central Park and Victoria Park in Barry and Wenvoe Upper Orchid Field.

Lucy Prisk, Green Flag coordinator at Keep Wales Tidy said: “The Green Flag Award programme helps to ensure communities have top quality and accessible green space, enabling them to enjoy and experience the outdoors, which is fundamental to the wellbeing and quality of life of our communities in Wales.

“Any sites interested in applying for the Green Flag Community Award 2016/17 should get in touch as soon as possible to enter. Together we can continue to raise the standards of parks and green space in Wales.”

For further information, please contact Lucy Prisk at lucy.prisk@keepwales.org, 02920 726964/07469 118876.