North Lincolnshire council is applying for Green Flag Award status for two local park areas within the Scunthorpe and as part of the applications they need to include comments from people who use the parks.

Green Flags are awarded by the Civic Trust and awards are given on an annual basis,  winners must apply each year to renew their Green Flag status. The Green Flag Award scheme is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the UK. It was first launched in 1996 to recognise and reward the best green spaces in the country.The first awards were given in 1997 and it continues to provide the high level of quality against which the country’s parks and green spaces are measured. It is also seen as a way of encouraging others to achieve high environmental standards, setting a benchmark of excellence in recreational green areas.

Winning a Green Flag Award can also generate excellent publicity for a site. Both the media and the public are becoming increasingly aware that a site flying a Green Flag is a high quality green space, which can only be a boost to its popularity.

The two parks are Kingsway Gardens and the parkland at Woodlands Crematorium, 

Woodlands Crematorium (left) has a large number of visitors per year from various ethnic and religious backgrounds. As well as carrying out approx 150 burials per year within the Cemetery area, which provides a peaceful resting place for loved ones, the grounds also act as a facility for the bereaved to visit to carry out a mark of respect, particularly in the garden of remembrance The crematorium grounds are 9 Hectares in size, situated off Brumby Wood Lane. The grounds were designed and landscaped by Mr G Haynes in 1964 and maintain much of the heritage introduced at that time. The grounds which are flanked by mature woodlands are a haven for wildlife such as rabbits, squirrels, woodpeckers and jays. The crematorium and its grounds hold an annual open day for visitors to gain an insight into the service and maintenance of the facility. In 2000 the Crematorium and its grounds won an award from the Natural Death Centre, for the Best Crematorium in the North East of England.

Kingsway Gardens (left) is held in very high regard by the people of Scunthorpe (and surrounding areas) as it is seen to epitomise Scunthorpes proud claim as an "Industrial Garden Town". It was Scunthorpe Borough Council developed it in the early 1950s to provide an attractive entrance from the western approach to the town. This is a high profile site within the centre of Scunthorpe, providing commuters, visitors and pedestrians alike with a magnificent view of raised floral beds, within manicured lawns, bordered by trees and shrubs. The park is heavily used by pedestrians as it is on a major route through town, it is also frequented by walkers, cyclists, dog walkers etc. The site receives much praise throughout the year for it's floral displays and the care and attention lavished upon it by councils Neighbourhood Services gardeners.