SIX parks across St Helens have been recognised among the country's best after receiving the prestigious Green Flag Award.
The award, run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, is the international benchmark for well-managed parks and green spaces.
It recognises sites that meet high standards for safety, accessibility, environmental management and community engagement.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Green Flag Award scheme, with 292 parks and green spaces across the North West achieving the accolade.
Following this year's success in St Helens, Councillor Michael Gibson, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, said: "This is fantastic news for St Helens Borough and a proud moment for everyone involved in caring for our parks and green spaces."
He added: "While these awards celebrate six individual sites, they also recognise the consistently high standards being delivered across our parks network, and we're determined to build on this success by seeing even more of our green spaces achieve Green Flag recognition in the future.
"Our parks and open spaces are among our greatest community assets. They provide places to exercise, relax, connect with nature and spend time with family and friends, and we're incredibly proud that they continue to be recognised on a national stage.
"With more than 110 parks and open spaces and 67 play areas across the borough, there's never been a better time to get outside and discover everything our green spaces have to offer."
The six St Helens parks to receive Green Flag status are:
Bankes Park
Located on Main Street in Billinge, Bankes Park spans 1.53 hectares and offers views across surrounding farmland towards Billinge Beacon.
Facilities include a children's play area, tennis court, football pitch, picnic benches and a car park. Visitors can also take a short walk along Beacon Road to Billinge Beacon - the highest point in Merseyside - which offers panoramic views stretching across southwest Lancashire, North Wales, the Peak District and Winter Hill.
Mesnes Park
Mesnes Park is the largest park in Newton-le-Willows and caters for a wide range of recreational activities.
The park features children's play areas, a skatepark, tennis courts, bowling greens, ball courts and sports pitches, alongside woodland walks, meadow and wetland areas, picnic spaces and open grassland for informal games and relaxation.
Sutton Park
Sutton Park provides open green space for walking, exercising and relaxing, with plenty of benches throughout the site.
The park also includes children's play facilities and areas suitable for dog walking and informal recreation.
Taylor Park
Taylor Park, the largest of St Helens' Victorian parks, was established after land was gifted to the borough by Samuel Taylor in 1892 and officially opened the following year.
Its attractions include a large dam, rock and quarry gardens, woodland walks, a children's play area, boathouse, visitor centre and tearoom. The park is also home to a variety of wildlife and waterfowl, making it a popular destination for nature lovers.
Victoria Park
One of St Helens' best-known green spaces, Victoria Park combines historic character with modern recreational facilities.
Originally opened as Cowley Hill Park in 1886 before being renamed the following year to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, the park is centred around the Grade II-listed Mansion House.
The park features landscaped gardens, walking routes, sports facilities and children's play areas, while a restoration in 2014 preserved many of its historic features.
Sankey Valley Country Park
Stretching for more than 1.5 miles between Sankey Bridges and Callands and into the borough of St Helens, Sankey Valley Country Park follows the route of Sankey Brook and the historic Sankey Canal.
Popular with walkers, cyclists and anglers, the park also includes children's play facilities, a maze and open lawns. Bewsey Old Hall sits on the edge of the central section, while the Trans Pennine Trail passes close to its southern end.
