The University of Salford has won a prestigious Green Flag Award for the quality of its public spaces and biodiversity initiatives. The university is one of 2500 organisations in the UK to achieve the internationally recognised quality mark, which is a credit to the teams involved.
The university first won the Award in 2019 and has successfully maintained the standard which has resulted in winning it for six consecutive years (there was no Award in 2020 during Covid).
Mark Wantling, Chief Infrastructure Officer and Sustainability Lead at the University said: “We are delighted to have earned the Award again and I’d like to thank the teams who have worked so hard to achieve this. From battling fly-tipping and daily site-checks to habitat creation and planting new wildflower lawns, the effort they have put in to help earn this accolade is greatly appreciated.
“This comes at a crucial time for the University. We have just appointed urban design specialists Planit to further improve our grounds as part of our Campus Connectivity Plan. This will help make even more of our public spaces as welcoming as they can be for students, staff and the community. It’s wonderful to know we can make our award-winning campus even better.”
The Green Flag assessors gave the university its highest ever score on the field assessment elements. They highlighted Environmental Management for special praise, remarking on “excellent systems” as well as underlining the hard work that goes into Biodiversity, Landscape and Heritage planning. They commented on “wonderful bird and bat boxes, insect hotels and bee posts” and add that the campus has “a platinum level of hedgehog-friendly status and that green walls and sedum roofs extend the biodiversity”.
They also remark on how hard the Sustainability team endeavoured to involve students, staff and the local community and how involved they are in building and planning policy decisions.
Bec Bennett, Associate Director of Sustainability at the University, said: “Winning the Green Flag Award for the sixth time is a true testament to the dedicated work of our University Teams, and we never take the Award for granted. From the Environmental Sustainability Team’s biodiversity initiatives to the Estates and Grounds staff who care for our public spaces, their commitment and teamwork are what make this achievement possible. We’re incredibly proud of their work and grateful for their continued dedication to making our campus a greener, more welcoming place for all.”
Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd MBE said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in the University’s Award, who have worked tirelessly to ensure it achieves the high standards required for the Green Flag Award. Quality parks and public spaces make the country a healthier place to live and work in, and a stronger place in which to invest.”
