Douglas Borough Council now has 5 Green Flags

2015 is the third year in succession that Douglas has been successful in the scheme, run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, which recognises excellence in parks and green spaces and judges them against eight criteria including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement.

Council Leader Councillor David Christian MBE JP said: 'To have five sites rewarded with Green Flags - four of them repeat awards – is wonderful news and testament to the vision of Head of Parks Dave Hewes and the tremendous hard work year round of his team to create outstanding green open spaces that add so much to the quality of life in the capital.

'Douglas remains the sole local authority in the Island to have been awarded Green Flags. Even in these times when we are faced with the difficult task of balancing budgets and delivering more for less, green spaces remain a priority for the Council, as we recognise the important community asset parks and open spaces represent and how much they contribute to people's quality of life.

'Receiving these five Green Flags is a cause for celebration, but it's also an incentive to build on that success for the future because a Green Flag isn't for life and winners must apply each year to renew their status.

The Green Flag award scheme, which takes into account environmental, management and future planning policies along with community involvement, is judged by more than 700 experts and is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces across the British Isles, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, awarded by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.