At the London in Bloom ceremony last week, the Horniman Gardens won a Gold in the Heritage Parks and Gardens category. The Gold award is given to gardens deemed outstanding (scoring 170 points or more out of a maximum 200), meaning they demonstrate best practise and consistency across all judging criteria.
And in London in Bloom’s new Environment Challenge Award, which recognises efforts being made to respond to the challenges of climate change and global warming, our Gardens won another Gold and were judged Best in Category.
The Environment Challenge Award entry highlighted our efforts in the Gardens to reduce water usage, waste and pollution, and promote biodiversity – from reusing waste water from the Aquarium and recycling coffee cups to creating mini-meadows and planting schemes that support pollinating insects. These are all part of our ongoing commitments – in the Gardens and inside the Museum – in our Climate and Ecology Manifesto.
This week has brought us two more Gardens accolades, this time Green Flag Awards. The Green Flag scheme is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. The Gardens won their 17th consecutive Green Flag Award, while the Nature Trail won back its Green Flag Community Award, having missed out last year.
Research carried out by YouGov for Keep Britain Tidy over the summer shows just how important parks are to the British public, revealing that:
- more than half of people (53%) visit a park or green space at least once a week
- 59% said they felt less stressed when visiting a park and 55% saying they felt more positive in general
- 93% think that parks and green spaces are important to their local community
- 95% agree that local parks and green spaces need to be protected.
Show your love and visit our multi-award-winning Gardens soon.