Keep Britain Tidy has today (20th May) announced national winners of the Seaside Awards, with thirteen beaches in North West England achieving the standards required. These are (from north to south):
- St Bees, Silecroft and Haverigg, Cumbria (managed by Copeland Borough Council)
- Morecambe North and Morecambe South (managed by Lancaster City Council)
- Ferry Beach and Rossall Beaches, Fleetwood and Jubilee Beach at Cleveleys (managed by Wyre Borough Council)
- Bispham, Blackpool North, Blackpool Central and Blackpool South (managed by Blackpool Council)
- Formby Lifeboat Road (managed by Sefton Council)
Across the whole of England 112 beaches achieved the Seaside Award and a further 56 the internationally recognised Blue Flag award. The English Seaside Award is designed to recognise the many different uses of the coast. In addition to ensuring high standards of management, cleanliness and safety and providing a mechanism to promote the beach and local facilities the Seaside Award scheme equips beach managers with a three-year action plan aimed at helping them maintain and improve the infrastructure at their beach. The water quality at all award winning beaches meets the required European Union standards.
Richard McIlwain, Programmes Director for the charity Keep Britain Tidy, which is responsible for the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards in England, said: ‘It’s fantastic news for everyone who loves visiting the seaside that more than 160 awards have been won, which guarantees the public the best facilities and the cleanest beaches this summer. Keep Britain Tidy is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee and over the past 60 years we have tirelessly campaigned to improve the quality of our local environment. We have some fantastic coastline and we know that communities up and down the country love their beaches. They provide opportunities for people to get outside, relax and have fun for free, while visitors to our beaches often provide support for local jobs and inward investment at sea-front resorts. We know that for many holiday-makers and day trippers clean, safe beaches, with good water quality and facilities are important factors in deciding which beach to visit and the continuing quality of management at these beaches is a real testament to the dedication, hard work and investment that local authorities and other beach managers put in year after year. The sight of the Blue Flag or Seaside Award flying gives visitors the reassurance that they’ll have a great time.’
To see the news release about the Awards click here
To see the full national list for both the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards click here
NB both Blue Flag and Seaside Awards are awarded following an application process for which a charge is made. This means that only some beaches are entered for the awards by the relevant managing authorities; other beaches may meet the same standards but have not been formally assessed.
