Seven parks and nature reserves across Bedford Borough have retained their national Green Flag status as part of this year’s Love Parks Week celebrations (24 July to 2 August).
The awards recognise Bedford Park, Addison Howard Park, Priory Country Park, and Harrold-Odell Country Park, alongside community sites at Mowsbury Hill Fort, Hill Rise Local Nature Reserve, and Putnoe Woods.
Green flags
The national scheme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, highlights well-managed green spaces and the work of community volunteer teams who maintain them alongside council staff.
Local volunteer groups help manage reserves and woods across the borough, supporting habitats from the Greensand Ridge to local wildflower meadows.
Cllr Nicola Gribble (Independent/Renhold and Ravensden), portfolio holder for environment, said: “Love Parks Week highlights all this is beautiful about our Borough – our parks, green spaces, sites and our dedicated officers and volunteers.”
She added that local people can continue to enjoy Bedford Borough’s green spaces “all year round, from stunning floral displays to live music, outdoor sports and thriving wildflowers and wildlife.”
Summer events
Alongside the national awards, summer activities are underway across the town, including annual floral displays along The Embankment and in town centres.
Music in the Meadows returns to the Mill Meadows bandstand on The Embankment this weekend, featuring local musicians every Sunday throughout August.
Read: What’s on Bedford: 29 July – 9 August 2026
Sports facilities remain open across the borough, including tennis courts and mini golf in Russell Park, alongside walking tree trails at Bedford Park and Addison Howard Park.
Harrold-Odell Country Park also provides visitors with an outdoor gym, a dragonfly pond, and a timber boardwalk.
Wildlife havens
The council also received the Bees’ Needs Champion Award this year for creating new habitats for pollinators in local parks.
Maintenance teams have reduced grass cutting in designated areas to an annual cut under the Bugs and Bees Project, which started in 2020.
Council staff and volunteers continue to plant wildflower seeds across reserves to support bees, bugs, and other local wildlife habitats.
