A total of 87 prestigious International Green Flag Awards have been presented to local authorities and other groups across Scotland, by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Recognising the very best of our country's outdoor areas, the International Green Flag Award acts as a benchmark for clean, safe and well-maintained parks and green spaces, and supports the opportunities that green spaces' provide to enable exercise, improve mental wellbeing and provide safe spaces for play.

Winners of the 2023 awards include parks managed by local authorities, community groups, universities and other organisations.

Jamie Ormiston, our Senior Awards Officer, said: "Congratulations to all of our fantastic award-winning green spaces across Scotland. Every park has a wide range of people visiting them and their requirements can vary. What is essential is that they are well maintained and provide a safe place for people to relax and have fun.

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"Our award-winning parks have demonstrated they are worthy winners, meeting the criteria of the coveted international award. Receiving this prestigious benchmark recognises all the hard work that has gone into maintaining and managing these precious green open spaces.

"It is imperative that Scotland reconnects with the natural world if we are to fix the biodiversity crisis and these green spaces provide a space for people of all ages to do that.

"Green spaces are so important for our physical and mental wellbeing and it's fantastic to see such a wide range of parks and green spaces across the entire length of the country. I encourage everyone to make the most of them this summer."

Edinburgh had the most winners with 38. Aberdeen City had nine, Dundee and South Ayrshire both had seven.

This year also saw four new winners including South Ayrshire Council's Knochcushan Gardens and Orchard Gardens. Cove Woodland and Ury Riverside Park both won Community Awards for the first time, while Midlothian's Straiton Pond and King's Park, Dalkeith picked up Green Flag Awards for the first time since 2019.

A total of 87 green spaces in Scotland have won a Green Flag Award for 2023. Across the UK there were 2,216 winners, a record number and up eight from 2022's total of 2,208.