Tilgate Park has received the award for the seventh consecutive year while Goffs Park, in Southgate, and the Memorial Gardens in the town centre have picked up their first ever Green Flags – the national standard for quality parks and green spaces.
Tilgate Park, set in 400 acres, scooped its first Green Flag in 2002. Winners are judged to be welcoming, safe and well maintained and involve the local community.

Tilgate Park boasts a nature centre, golf course, lakes, lawns and gardens, woodland walks and bridleways.

Goffs Park has a lake, 18-hole pitch and putt course, miniature steam railway, state-of-the-art play facilities and is home to Crawley Museum.


When walking around the Memorial Gardens in May, a Green Flag judge said: "This is the nicest town centre park I have been to.

"The obvious enthusiasm and hard work of the staff is a credit to Crawley."

Councillor Beryl MeCrow, Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, said: "This is a fantastic achievement and we are delighted to have won these awards.

"It demonstrates the commitment of the council and its dedicated staff to keeping these great parks and open spaces so special.

"Last year we said we wanted to spread our Tilgate Park success to other parks and that is what we have done."

Tony Coles is Secretary of the Friends of Goffs Park, who helped get grant funding for the first phase of improvements to the play facilities in the park.

He said: "I'm ecstatic. Council staff and the Friends group have all worked very hard to support this."

The Green Flag Award is sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government, English Heritage and Natural England.

For more details on Crawley's parks visit www.crawley.gov.uk/parks. For more details on Green Flag Awards visit www.greenflagaward.org.uk

Leave your comments below