FIVE parks were hailed for their high standards.

Love Parks week took place from Friday July 14 until Sunday July 23 run by the Keep Britain Tidy group encouraging people to tweet.

Wychavon looks after 11 parks across the district including Abbey Park and Workman/Waterside Gardens in Evesham, Vines Park and Lido Park/St Peter’s Fields in Droitwich Spa.

It also looks after Abbey Park in Pershore, with all five of these receiving Green Flag status meaning they are kept to the highest standards.

Councillor Emma Stokes, portfolio holder for environment and street scene, said: “We are absolutely delighted to retain the Green Flag Awards in our five main parks. Gaining the award is a challenge, but retaining it year-on-year is not an easy task so my thanks go to all those who work so hard to ensure this happens – both at Wychavon and at our contractors, Continental Landscapes Limited.

“We know how much quality green spaces matter to residents and visitors and we know our residents, like us, value our parks and open spaces.

"The Love Parks campaign was a great opportunity to shout about why we love them so much and we’ll continue to work hard to keep them to the highest standards and improve them even further.”

Lynn Stevens, senior parks and open spaces officer at Wychavon, said: “It’s fantastic that we have been able to maintain our Green Flag status in these five parks. It’s a sign to those visiting that they can expect a good standard and its great recognition to those grounds staff and greenspace officers who work so hard to maintain them.”

Paul Todd, the International Green Flag Award Scheme manager, added: “We are delighted to be celebrating another record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award scheme.

"Each flag is a celebration of the thousands of staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.

"The success of the scheme, especially in these challenging times, demonstrates just how much parks matter to people.”