The results of our annual applicant survey are in!

Every year we conduct an applicant survey for all Green Flag Award applicants across the globe, to understand how the program is performing and what we can do to make improvements for the future.

The results of this year's survey are in, and as you can see from the summary below we've received lots of positive feedback;

You said/We did

Alongside all of the positive feedback in the survey, there were some suggestions and insights which have helped shape new developments. Please read on below to find out what we'll be doing as a direct result of your feedback.

You said.....

74% of you said you celebrate achieving your Green Flag Award(s) via Facebook.

We did....

For this year’s award announcement we will supply parks with a ‘Winners Marketing Pack’ that will contain social media templates and graphics to assist the promotion of your award.

For the first time we will set-up a Facebook page for the Green Flag Award to distribute messages and share your award announcements to the whole industry of green space professionals.

You said....

51% of you said that you celebrate achieving your Green Flag Award(s) in local media.

We did....

We will provide a templated local press release, including a quote from our CEO as part of the ‘Winners Marketing Pack’ to make it easier for you to gain local coverage.

You said....

66% of you said that you promote your green flag award via on site posters and banners.

We did....

This year as part of the ‘Winners Marketing Pack’ we will provide additional assets such as certificates and posters for every park to display alongside their Green Flag Award on noticeboards and to affix to railings.

You said...

14% of you said you found ‘Community Involvement’ the most challenging of the 8 Green Flag Award Criteria and 11% said ‘Marketing and Communications’.

We did...

During the 2021 Keep Britain Tidy network conference we hosted a webinar on how to ‘Create a collaborative environment in parks and green spaces’. This webinar is live on our resources hub for you to view here.

Over the coming months we will also host an open webinar to delve into each of the above topics in more detail and discuss how parks and green spaces can best meet the criteria. These webinars will be recorded and hosted on the Green Flag Award resources hub afterwards for those unable to attend.

We also uploaded 3 new resources under Community Involvement to the Resources Hub, bringing the total number of resources under that criteria to 9. Check it out here: www.greenflagaward.org/resources/communityinvolvement

You said...

Many of you commented that this year due to the pandemic you could not celebrate your Green Flag Awards in the usual fashion.

We did...

We will be holding our light up green for parks event again this year to raise public awareness of the value of our parks and green spaces.,

This year we are also expanding our special awards beyond the usual ‘people’s choice’, ‘volunteer of the year’ and ‘staff member of the year’. The categories and application process will be announced in August. In November we will host an online awards ceremony to announce and celebrate the winners so that we can share your success and raise a glass.

You said...

19% of you said that your department (parks and green spaces) budget has decreased over the last 12 months.

We did...

This year the NEW parks and green spaces UK all party parliamentary group was launched, for which we provide the secretariat, which will focus on the challenges facing the UK sector. The outcomes of this could provide valuable evidence relevant to your country. In our July meeting we will focus on reviewing progress made in the 5 years since the launch of the Select Committee Inquiry into the Future of Public Parks in 2016 by UK Government.