Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has announced the winners of the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for summer 2023.
Across Yorkshire and the Humber – which incorporates East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North-East Lincolnshire – 12 beaches have been presented with awards recognising the quality of the beaches, the way they are managed and the facilities they offer to visitors.
The Blue Flag is an international award and this year four beaches across the region have met the high standards required:
• Scarborough North Bay – Scarborough Borough Council
• Whitby – Scarborough Borough Council
• Hornsea – East Riding of Yorkshire Council
• Withernsea – East Riding of Yorkshire Council
And ten beaches in the region were awarded the Seaside Award, including two of the Blue Flag winners. They are:
• Bridlington North – East Riding of Yorkshire
• Wilsthorpe – East Riding of Yorkshire
• South Landing – East Riding of Yorkshire
• Filey – Scarborough Borough Council
• Runswick Bay – Scarborough Borough Council
• Cayton Bay – Scarborough Borough Council
• Robin Hoods Bay – Scarborough Borough Council
• Sandsend – North Yorkshire Council
• Scarborough North Bay – North Yorkshire Council
• Whitby – North Yorkshire Council
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “Visitors to a beach flying a Blue Flag or Seaside Award can be assured the beach will be clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as international bathing water quality standards.
“The Blue Flag is the world’s most recognised award for beaches and marinas and, in order to qualify, each applicant must meet and maintain a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria.
“We’d therefore like to recognise and applaud all those who have worked so hard to protect and improve some of our best-loved and most popular beaches. The collective efforts of beach managers, volunteers, residents and businesses all contribute to the success of these sites in achieving the incredibly high standards demanded.”
The Blue Flag and Seaside Awards are aimed at improving the quality of England’s coastline and promoting the country’s best beaches.
Blue Flag is an international award managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education. It is only presented to well-managed beaches with excellent water quality and environmental education programmes, while Seaside Awards are presented to the best beaches in England and celebrate the quality and diversity of our coastline.
Among the criteria beaches are assessed against are:
• Safety and services, such as first aid, lifeguards where necessary
• Environmental information including displaying details about local eco systems
• Water quality – Blue Flag beaches must meet the ‘excellent’ water quality standard as set out in the EU bathing water directive and Seaside Award winners must meet the ‘sufficient’ standard.
• Environmental management, including litter and waste
