Bracknell

Three of Bracknell Forest's parks have been judged to see if they will be awarded Green Flags this year.

Pope's Meadow in Binfield could win its fifth successive Green Flag and Westmorland Park is hoping for its third flag since 2003.

Sandhurst Memorial Park and Shepherd Meadows - a partnership between Bracknell Borough Council and Sandhurst Town Council which was the scheme's first joint winner three years ago - is optimistic that it can achieve an impressive Green Flag treble.

The Green Flag is a national standard for parks and recognises the best green spaces in the country. The Council should hear the judges' verdict in August.

Parks and Countryside staff for the three sites have used the judges' comments from last year to make improvements, including new signs and interpretation boards at Sandhurst, changes to the management plans at all sites and ongoing landscape improvements.

Bracknell Forest won the first Green Flag awards in Berkshire in 2003. Last year there were 19 Green Flag awards in the South East, with 253 awarded nationally. In the first year of the scheme in 1997, only seven flags were awarded.

Meanwhile, residents can offer their opinions on any of Bracknell Forest's parks on a new website.

GreenSpace, a charity which works to improve public spaces, wants a million people across the country to have their say on parks.

Participants can comment on all parks run by a council or on individual sites, all comments will be passed back to the relevant organisation. Comments can be made at www.greenstat.org.uk

Cllr Iain McCracken, Executive Member for Bracknell Leisure and Corporate Services, said: "We have worked very hard to maintain and improve the already high standard of our parks in Bracknell Forest and I hope this ongoing commitment will once again be recognised by the Green Flag judges.

"As ever we welcome constructive comments to help us make further improvements to our parks and so I ask our residents and visitors, please go online and tell us what you think of our parks."

Bracknell Forest Borough Council