THREE Wirral parks have won top recognition in a prestigious national campaign, writes Craig Manning.

Ashton Park in West Kirby, Vale Park in New Brighton and Thornton Hough Village Green are three of 80 Northwest parks to achieve a Green Flag Award, which sets the national standard for parks and green spaces.

Managed by the Civic Trust and CABE Space, the award is given to parks that recognise the value of green spaces in communities and rewards excellent standards of park management. A total of 253 green spaces across England and Wales have achieved the standard - a huge increase on the first year of the award scheme, 1997, when only seven Green Flags were awarded.

Wirral has 2976 acres of parks including six country parks, 50 local parks, five public gardens and two district parks. To qualify for award nomination, the parks were assessed on eight criteria which Green Flag Award judges assess. These were: a welcoming place, healthy, safe and secure, well-maintained and clean, sustainability, conservation and heritage, community involvement, marketing and management.

Friends of park groups also met twice a year to discuss issues of parks' management. All kinds of green spaces, not only traditional city parks, can fly a Green Flag. This year winners range from town centre parks and gardens to recreation grounds, country parks, nature reserves, woodlands and cemeteries. The winning green spaces are now listed on the dedicated website at www.greenflagaward.org.uk

Wirral's Director of Education and Cultural Services Howard Cooper said: "We are always striving to improve standards in our parks and ensure we provide the best possible service to Wirral residents and visitors."

Paul Todd, Green Flag award manager at the Civic Trust said: "A good park is a place to play, to meet, to learn, to relax - and the perfect place to incorporate exercise into a busy lifestyle.

"Above all, it provides the ideal focal point for its surrounding residents, bringing its local community together like nothing else can. Everyone involved should be extremely proud of their hard work and they should fly the flag with pride."

The official awards ceremony for Northern winners takes place in Preston on November 18.