20140912 Raising of the Green Flag on SSP

At last the moment for our Green Flag celebration has arrived.

together with the park administration we have prepared and braved the award judges and now we can proclaim to all and sundry: WE GOT IT!!

The Green Flag is an important award, widely recognized and Southwark has a record number of them in South London.

Top bosses from the park administration were present and Councillor Barrie Hargrove the Cabinet Member for Public Health, Parks and Leisure uttered a proud speech o our our little park has gone a long way from an abandoned corner in the middle of a sea of tough housing estates into an award winning green oasis. Our inimitable chair, Julian, did the honours for the Friends.

Plenty people turned up, Daniel filmed the entire event and old friends, like Frank (that deserves much of the credit for Surrey Square Park success), turned up for the occasion from far away.

Daniel has made a professional video of the event for FoSSP and we are all happy that the ceremony can now be experienced by everybody. It makes us all proud.

Even Collins the Estate officer for the Kinglake Estate was at hand for congratulation an a little pride that all contribution to the quality of our little park is also a contribution to the quality of life to all the residents of the area. Especially when the estates bordering it have such a name for their troublesome violent history. Even the Southwark News, our local newspaper, mentioned our achievement.

When all was over there was still time for Jon, the Southwark ecological officer, to visit the Surrey Square Park WildLife Area and the profound improvements that it has gone through.

Well done and thanks to all