Earlier on this year (2006), an application was submitted for a Green Pennant Award for Witch Wood.

What is a Green Pennant Award?

The Green Pennant Award is a national award that recognises high quality green spaces in England and Wales that are managed by voluntary and community groups.

The Award has an impressive and established background – it is part of the Green Flag Award scheme, the national standard for quality parks and green spaces.

The Green Pennant Award is run by the Civic Trust and supported by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The benefits of receiving an Award include excellent publicity for the site and organisation on a national and regional scale, increased funding opportunities and visitor numbers, and the knowledge that the site is helping to contribute to a renewed sense of pride in the local area.

Winners receive a pennant and certificate to display on site for 1 year, from the date the Award is presented.

A number of community-based organisations can apply for the Green Pennant Award, including community groups, voluntary organisations and city farms. Sites must be solely managed by the communtiy group although certain aspects of the site's maintenance may be undertaken by other bodies e.g. the local authority.

Any type of green space is eligible to enter, as long as the site is freely accessible and is less than 3 hectares in size. Sites should be unlocked as much as possible and when open, should be accessible to all.

Each green space is judged on its own merit by an expert who visits each site. An Award will be given to any green space that is judged to meet the criteria. The following is a list of the issues that the judges look for:

A Welcoming Place

First impressions are all important and the site should look inviting, with free public access and attractive, easy-to-find entrances and appropriate signage. Access issues for people with disabilities should also have been considered and the site should appeal to a wide range of members of the community.

Healthy, Safe and Secure

The site must be safe. There should be evidence that the issues of health, safety and security, not just of the members of your organisation, but also of visitors to the site, have been taken seriously. It should be apparent that the issue of dog fouling has been addressed.

Well Maintained and Clean

There should be an appropriate standard of maintenance throughout the site, with effective management in place to combat litter and graffiti. The Award does not expect a very formal ‘manicured’ maintenance standard, but at the same time, recognises the high quality of work carried out by community groups.

Environmental Sustainability

Judges look out for consideration of environmental issues such as waste recycling and minimisation, use of sustainable materials and minimising the use of peat and pesticides.

Biodiversity and Heritage

Each green space is unique and has its own character. Judges look to see if any conservation issues on the site have been dealt with appropriately. If the site has historic features, have they too been recognised and managed accordingly?

Community Involvement

This is a key area. Judges look at how well the site relates both to the local community and to the wider community (those people from further afield who come to visit the site) and about how the site is promoted.

They are also interested to hear about how volunteers or members are recruited, and about how they are involved in site operations and decision making.

Achievements

Here judges look at what has been achieved, not only in terms of managing the green space, but also what funding and resources have been secured and how they have been used. How creative and innovative the projects on site have been, is also be of interest here.

Judges score each green space against a detailed checklist based on the above criteria. Any site that achieves a high enough score will receive an Award.

Each application is judged by an independent, experienced Green Flag Award judge.

In August this year, the hard work of the Witch Wood volunteers group was acknowledged and the recognised with the award of a Green Pennant Award. Witch Wood was one of only 74 sites in the country to receive the coveted Green Pennant Award for excellence. At present the volunteers are at a loss where to put the flag permanently and have opted instead to display it when they are working in the wood!