BRAINTREE Council has come third in awards recognising the work on green spaces.

The council was shortlisted for a Keep Britain Tidy Award in the category of ‘Love Parks Award 2023’, which recognises an outstanding event or campaign during Love Parks Week which took place from July 29 to August 5 last year.

Braintree Council took part in the campaign by highlighting different parks across the district, encouraging residents to talk about and visit their favourite park or green space.

The campaign also raised the profile of the council’s staff teams, partners and volunteers, who tend to the parks on a regular basis, with their hard work being recognised by residents.

Working with parish and town councils, Braintree has a horticultural team of 30 members of staff who, alongside many individuals and groups of dedicated volunteers, maintain the district’s council-owned parks.

This includes the council’s team of 500 Green Heart Champions, a team of volunteers of all ages who are passionate about ensuring their surroundings are clean and tidy by litter picking in their parks, open spaces and streets.

Braintree took third place at the awards, which took place last Thursday.

A council spokesman said: “We have finished third in Keep Britain Tidy’s Love Parks Award.

“We’d like to congratulate Southend-on-Sea City Council as the winner.

“We didn’t win top prize this time, but we’re pleased to have been recognised in the final three.

“We’re proud of our open spaces and would like to thank everyone involved in keeping our parks beautiful.”