Image: Staff pose with the new flag for a celebratory photo in the newly re-designed playground

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The Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award for the 17th year in a row. The award is the international quality mark for outstanding publicly accessible parks and green spaces with high standards of facilities, safety, and environmental management.

The Millennium Country Park is a 225-hectare oasis of nature in the heart of the Forest of Marston Vale, which sits between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It is home to a variety of habitats, such as woodlands, meadows, and wetlands, as well as a network of trails for walking, cycling and horse riding. The Park is open all year round and hosts a range of family and seasonal events, as well as offering a café, gift shop, toilets, changing facilities and our newly redesigned children’s play area.

Image: One of our younger visitors playing in the newly re-designed playground

The Park is managed by our dedicated team of rangers, and supported by a group of volunteers who help with everything from administration to habitat management, tree planting and events. The team also oversees 12 Community Woodlands across the Forest of Marston Vale, which provide valuable green spaces for local communities.

Head Ranger Anna said: “We are thrilled to receive the Green Flag Award for the 17th time. It is a great recognition of the hard work and passion that our staff, volunteers, and supporters put into maintaining and enhancing the Park. We are proud to offer a beautiful and accessible place for people to enjoy nature and the outdoors, as well as contributing to the creation of the Forest of Marston Vale, which aims to plant an additional 5 million trees in an area that was once scarred by the brick making and landfill industries.”

Image: Photograph showing the Terrace and part of the new playground

A national scheme recognising excellence in green space management

The Green Flag Award scheme is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It 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.

The Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park are among more than 2,000 sites across the country to collect the award this year.

For more information or to sign up for a press pack contact our Communications team.

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Have you visited our new playground? Has your pup enjoyed one of our doggie ice creams? Did you have a relaxing coffee up on our terrace?

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