Visitors to Haysden Country Park celebrated with a cheer as the recently awarded Green Flag was triumphantly raised.

The park in Tonbridge was among a record breaking 1,476 areas and green spaces across the country to be awarded a Green Flag Award.

The flag is the national standard for parks and green spaces, making the Tonbridge park of the best in England and Wales.

The scheme has been running for 18 years, and this is the ninth consecutive year that Haysden Country Park has received the award.

Volunteers, who help maintain the park, downed their tools and joined in for the official flag-raising on Saturday, August 2, which was organised to coincide with Love Parks Week wihch ran from Friday, July 25 to Sunday, August 3.

Managed by Keep Britain tidy, Love Parks Week is a national campaign to raise the awareness of the importance of parks and green spaces.

“It’s a double celebration again this year with both our country parks receiving a Green Flag Award" - Cllr Maria Heslop

Haysden Country Park, set in 165 acres of park land, includes a children’s play area and a range of habitats such as grassland, freshwater lakes, marshland and woodland, which are home to a wealth of insects, birds and animals.

The Borough Council's other park, Leybourne Lakes Country Park, also achieved Green Flag status for another year.

Cllr Maria Heslop, Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council’s cabinet member for leisure, youth and arts, said: “It’s a double celebration again this year with both our country parks receiving a Green Flag Award.

"We couldn’t have done it without the dedication and support of all the rangers, volunteer groups, wildlife specialists, partnership organisations and visitors, who continue to help us improve and develop the parks each year.”