Members of the Machynlleth community have spoken of their delight after a community garden in the town was handed an internationally-recognised quality mark.

Keep Wales Tidy has handed out this year’s Green Flag Awards – with Gerddi Bro Ddyfi Gardens, the community gardens in the Plas estate in Machynlleth, landing the award for the sixth year running.

The accolade recognises its dedicated volunteer involvement, high environmental standards and commitment to delivering great quality green space.

Mike Williams, Machynlleth county councillor said: “This is great news and another big boost to Gerddi Bro Ddyfi Gardens’s volunteers, staff and committee.

“I’m absolutely delighted that the hard work of our volunteers in maintaining and improving the gardens for the benefit of our local community and wildlife is being recognised.”

Angela Paxton, senior volunteer coordinator, said “We are thrilled to have achieved the Green Flag Award in recognition of the hard work of our brilliant team of volunteers in looking after the community gardens.

“We will continue to improve the gardens with more seating, new planting, and better access, for the enjoyment of all.”

A total of 127 community managed green spaces across the entire United Kingdom have met the high standards needed to receive the Green Flag Community Award.

This means that Wales still holds a third of the UK’s community Green Flag sites.

The Green Flag Award programme is delivered in Wales by environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, with support from Welsh Government.

Experts volunteered their time in early autumn to judge applicant sites against eight strict criteria, including biodiversity, cleanliness, environmental management, and community involvement.

Lucy Prisk, Green Flag coordinator at Keep Wales Tidy said: “The pandemic has shown just how important high quality parks and green spaces are to our communities. For many, they have been a haven on our doorstep, benefitting our health and well-being.

“The success of Gerddi Bro Ddyfi Gardens in achieving the award is a testament to the volunteers who have maintained excellent standards under the most challenging circumstances this year.”