Which Scottish towns and cities have scooped Green Flag awards for their parks?

Edinburgh and Aberdeen are among the Scottish areas that have scooped Green Flag awards for their parks.

The international award is administered by Keep Scotland Beautiful and acts as a benchmark for outdoor spaces.

The award celebrates well maintained parks and supports the opportunities that they provide to enable exercise, improve mental wellbeing and provide safe surroundings for children to play.

Among the 2022 winners this year are 38 parks in Edinburgh, seven in Aberdeen and two in Aberdeenshire.

Some of the parks in Edinburgh that have been awarded the prestigious status include Spylaw Park, London Road Gardens, Portobello Community Garden, NHS Lothian’s Royal Edinburgh Hospital and The Lawn and Central Woodlands at Heriot-Watt University.

Haddo Country Park and Aden Country Park, in Aberdeenshire, have also scooped the award.

In Aberdeen, Hazlehead Park, Duthie Park, Seaton Park, Johnston Gardens, Victoria Park, Slopefield Allotments, and Garthdee Field Allotments have been declared winnners.

Botanic Gardens, Castlemilk Park Daffodil Walk, Linn Park Wildlife Trail, Maryhill Park Growing Space, Mount Vernon Park, Overnewton Park and Southern Necropolis are some of the green spaces in Glasgow that have been awarded.

Jamie Ormiston, beaches and parks officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “I would like to congratulate all of Scotland’s award-winning parks. Receiving this prestigious international benchmark recognises all the hard work that has gone into maintaining and managing these precious green open spaces.

“As the only accreditation for park management of its kind in Scotland, we have supported local authority teams, land managers and communities across Scotland to drive up environmental standards at many of our parks and open spaces for residents and visitors alike.

“Parks attract a diverse range of visitors, all of whom look for different facilities and have different expectations.

“The Green Flag Award, and the collective expertise of managers and communities across Scotland, drives improvements through a framework which supports the management of our environment, our wildlife and the people who visit.

“Scotland’s parks and open spaces attract thousands of visitors every year and I’d encourage everyone to #RespectProtectEnjoy them this summer.”