East Devon District Council (EDDC) has won one four prestigious Green Flag Awards for locations in East Devon.

Awards were given to Sidmouth's Connaught Gardens and Peak Hill Slope, Exmouth's Manor Gardens, Seaton's Seafield Gardens and Seaton Wetlands Nature Reserve.

The Green Flag Award is an international quality mark for well-run green spaces and parks. It is managed by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under the licence of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The awards are recognition for the hard work put in my EDDC, StreetScene, Countryside and local volunteer groups.

Staff and volunteers are already planning a busy autumn. There will be a further stage of which will include the introduction of sustainable perennials and wildlife attracting plants.

Councillor Geoff Jung, EDDC's portfolio holder for Coast, Country and Environment, said: "The strengths of our parks and nature reserves are the teams that manage them.

"Described by the judges as passionate, knowledgeable and motivated, the StreetScene and Countryside teams are continually improving our sites, providing space for nature by planting wild flowers to benefit pollinators, insects and ultimately birds, providing bird boxes, reducing environmental impacts and have started introducing more drought-resistant species.

"The teams are addressing future climate and biodiversity challenges through sustainable planting, the sowing of wildflower seed, and allowing nature recovery at selected sites. In addition to this, we continue to bring in more eco-friendly grounds maintenance equipment in the form of battery operated machinery to reduce emissions and our overall carbon output in maintaining our parks and greenspaces.

"Astoundingly, this coveted award has been awarded for 19 years in a row to Connaught Gardens,18 years to Manor Gardens and Seaton Wetlands, and 3 years to Seafield Gardens."

Keep Britain Tidy's Accreditation Manager Paul Todd said: "I would like to congratulate everyone involved in achieving Green Flag Awards.

"Green spaces are vital for the community in East Devon. These awards are testament to all the hard work of staff and volunteers, who do so much to ensure that the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award are maintained."

You can find a full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces here

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