A CATHEDRAL city’s gardens have been named one of the best green spaces in Britain – for the 14th time in a row.

Ripon Spa Gardens have won its 14th consecutive Green Flag Award.

The awards are presented by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, which recognises the best parks and green spaces in the country. The awards look for high standards and spaces that have excellent facilities and are beautifully maintained.

The public space, which won its first green flag in 2001, hosts concerts on Sunday afternoons throughout summer from its own Victorian bandstand. It also has crazy golf, a bowling pavilion, bowling green, floral displays, a cafe and other facilities.

It recently added chainsaw carvings depicting characters from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland story, which was inspired by the carvings in Ripon Cathedral.

Councillor Phil Ireland, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for the Environment, Transport and External Affairs, said: “This 14th Green Flag is a testament to the continued hard work and dedication of the council’s parks team and the Friends of Spa Gardens and Park, and I would like to thank everyone involved.”

This year Keep Britain Tidy awarded a record-breaking 1,476 parks and green spaces with a prestigious Green Flag Award.