Cliffe Castle retains its double Green Flag Award status

Article dated Tuesday Jul 18, 2023 at 09:54 AM

Main Photo

Cliffe Castle has retained its double Green Flag Award status as both a Green Flag park and as the district’s only Green Heritage Site, an award supported by Historic England.

The Keighley park, owned and managed by Bradford Council, in the grounds of Cliffe Castle Museum, has been praised by Green Heritage judges for making an effort ‘to ensure the public can experience all of Cliffe Castle’s rich natural, visual and physical heritage through the whole year’. Judges were also impressed by the commitment of staff, Cliffe Castle Support Group and local volunteers to restore and maintain the park and share the ‘heritage value of the park’ with a range of events and guided tours.

The Green Heritage Site category of the Green Flag Awards requires sites to meet good conservation standards; to celebrate, restore and maintain their historic features; to provide information on historic features for the public and to reflect historic character in the trees and plants on the site.

Judges of the Green Flag Award also highlighted the community involvement with the park: ‘it was excellent to see that the park has a well-established friends group which are a registered charity and meet on a regular basis with park management teams and local residents.’ Other areas for praise included the well maintained grass areas, the reintroduction of Victorian plants, the range of events organised at the park and ‘a clear recognition and aim to support the diverse community around the park.’

Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Portfolio Holder for Healthy People and Places, said: “This is fantastic news for all those who work so hard to make Cliffe Castle Park one of the gems of our district. Over the years it has become an active part of the Keighley community, as well as attracting visitors from further afield. Congratulations to everyone involved in achieving these two accolades.”

Pictured above: 

Emma Rochford-Ridgeway (Parks Officer) David Knowles (Museums Officer), Councillor Mohsin Hussain (Keighley Central Ward Councillor), Elaine Cooper and Jane Gibbon (Members of the Cliffe Castle Support Group) with the new flag.

Underline image
RSS Feed Symbol Subscribe to RSS feed

Recent stories