Rushcliffe Country Park celebrates 20th consecutive Green Flag Award
Last updated: 21/7/2026
Rushcliffe Country Park has received its 20th consecutive Green Flag Award, marking two decades of recognition as one of the country's best parks.
The popular park in Ruddington has been named again among 2,391 parks and green spaces across the UK to achieve the prestigious accreditation, which is regarded as the international benchmark for the quality management of recreational outdoor spaces. The award comes as the Green Flag Award scheme celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The green space has been recognised for its diverse range of habitats for wildlife including woodlands, grasslands, a lake with a reed bed, wildflower meadows and more. It’s also home to a variety of birds and at quieter times of the day badgers, foxes, hares and muntjac deer have occasionally been spotted.
The park also boasts a network of over eight kilometres of footpaths and a dog agility course and is home to the Rushcliffe parkrun and Rushcliffe junior parkrun attracting hundreds of friends and families each weekend.
Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) owns and manages the park with the support of its park rangers, Streetwise, the Council’s grounds maintenance team, and the Friends of Rushcliffe Country Park (FoRCP) volunteer group who help protect habitats, focus on conservation work and improve the park and its facilities.
RBC investments in the park include a play area, café, outdoor shelter, visitor centre, bookable meeting room, electric vehicle charging points, pathway restoration work, refurbished toilets, shade sails, skatepark and BMX track.
RBC Leader Cllr Neil Clarke said: “RBC Leader Cllr Neil Clarke said: “Receiving a Green Flag Award for 20 consecutive years is a fantastic achievement and reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in maintaining Rushcliffe Country Park. Thank you to all the volunteers for their longstanding commitment and the important role they play in the park's continued success.
“The park is a valued community asset, enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, and we are proud to continue investing in this much-loved green space for future generations.”
RBC’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Wellbeing, ICT and Member Development Cllr Jonathan Wheeler said: “We're absolutely delighted that Rushcliffe Country Park has retained its Green Flag Award for the 20th year.
“This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our park rangers, the Friends of Rushcliffe Country Park volunteer group and our Streetwise team, who help make the park a welcoming and enjoyable space for the more than 300,000 visitors it attracts every year.
“Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute to the park's success.”
FoRCP Chairperson Rosemary Dove added: “We are proud to be awarded Green Flag status for the twentieth year. It is a reflection of all the hard work from the Park Rangers, caretakers, Streetwise and Friends’ group that goes into looking after the park and maintaining the high standard.
“We are proud to create a fantastic space for the residents of Rushcliffe and the wider community who enjoy spending time here.
“Our members do a lot of conservation work, help the rangers with the park management and do surveying and biological recording.
“We’re hosting our annual wildlife day on Wednesday August 26 so come down, visit us and join in with the activities!”
Every Wednesday morning, FoRCP welcome park goers to the visitor centre, where they sell a selection of items including books, homemade jams and honey made from the park’s bees to raise funds for the park. The Friends are always delighted to see and chat to visitors there.
Their door is always open to new volunteers, and anyone interested in joining the group can email countrypark@rushcliffe.gov.uk, phone 0115 921 5865 or search ‘Friends of Rushcliffe Country Park’ on Facebook.
The Green Flag Award is a sign to the public that the space boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under contract from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
For more information about Rushcliffe Country Park and details on how to plan your next visit, or book the meeting room, please visit the RBC webpage.