Our great green spaces ; Essex has some great country parks and seven of them have just been awarded Green Flag Awards

Seven Essex country parks have been awarded Green Flags, markingthem out as some of the best green spaces in the UK.

The country parks at Danbury, Weald and Thorndon near Brentwood,Great Notley near Braintree, Belhus Woods at South Ockendon,Hadleigh and Cudmore Grove at East Mersea will all proudly displayGreen Flags showing that they are well maintained and managed andhave excellent facilities.

A record number of Green Flag awards have been awarded this year,showing how many great green spaces there are in the country.

Standards "The Green Flag Award Scheme, and its growth, isessential in driving up the standards of our parks and greenspaces," said …