Latest news with #WalesCoastAwards
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Wales Online
The North Wales beaches recognised for their clean waters and beautiful environments
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Three North Wales beaches have been recognised for their clean water and beautiful environments in this year's Keep Wales Tidy Awards 2025. The environmental charity said: "Wales boasts some of the most stunning and diverse coastline in the UK. "The Wales Coast Awards play a vital role in protecting our precious marine environment and are recognised around the world as a symbol of quality. We've managed the Blue Flag, Green Coast Award and Seaside Award for more than 20 years. "To attain one of these prestigious awards a beach, marina or tourism boat operator must meet and maintain the highest environmental standards and achieve tough water quality targets." The winners of this years awards were: Green Coast Award: Silver Bay (Traeth Llydan) Anglesey (Image: Traeth Llydan beach in Rhosneigr, Anglesey (Image: Ian Cooper/North Wales Live)) The Green Coast award recognises the beautiful, untouched, rugged beaches that line so much of our coast. They may not have the facilities of more traditional seaside resorts, but Green Coast Award beaches have excellent water quality and are held to high environmental standards. According to Keep Wales Tidy: "Silver Bay is a beautiful, remote beach facing south into Cymyran Bay. The beach is wide and sandy with rocky outcrops to clamber over and plenty of opportunities for rock pooling. "It is also popular for sailing, surfing and canoeing. The beach is backed by a conifer plantation, a Holiday Park and farmland and is bound by low rocky headlands. "There is no direct vehicular access to the beach and visitors should park at neighbouring Borth Wen beach before using the spectacular Anglesey Coast Path to access Silver Bay beach. "The path follows the coast in both directions and offers fine views of the Rhosneigr beaches to the south. In keeping with its rural location there are no facilities at the beach but the nearby resort of Trearddur, to the north, has a selection of shops and services and hosts a popular annual oyster festival. Between Rhoscolyn and Treaddur is the Porth Diana Nature Reserve, home to the spotted rock rose, Anglesey's county flower." Seaside Awards: Rhyl East, Prestatyn Central (Image: Hadyn Iball / North Wales Live) With a distinctive yellow and blue flag The Seaside Awards is given to attractive and well-managed coastal stretches. According to Keep Wales Tidy Prestatyn Central Beach "is located between the Ffrith and Barkby Beaches, only half a mile from the town centre". They said: "It is popular for watersports including surfing, sailing and windsurfing and has a large tidal range. "A promenade joining Prestatyn's three beaches is more than 4 miles long and offers pleasant walking around the sandy bays. The promenade forms part of the North Wales Path. The beach also marks the beginning of the Offa's Dyke National Trail, which runs south to Chepstow, marking the boundary between Wales and England. "There are cafes near the beach as well as a play area, leisure centre and traditional seaside amusements. A wide range of shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants can be found in the town centre. The area is an ideal base for cycling, with two local cycle routes starting in Prestatyn, one of which takes in the picturesque Dyserth Waterfall." Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Find out what's happening near you
Pembrokeshire Herald
15-05-2025
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Pembrokeshire beaches best in Wales with 17 Coast Awards
County scoops highest number of accolades in national environmental honours PEMBROKESHIRE has been officially named home to the best beaches in Wales, securing a record-breaking 17 Wales Coast Awards in 2025—more than any other part of the country. The results, released today (Thursday) by environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, recognise coastal locations across Wales for exceptional environmental standards, excellent water quality, and a commitment to education and sustainability. Out of the 49 beaches honoured across Wales, Pembrokeshire claimed 10 of the 21 Blue Flag Awards, including well-known locations such as Tenby South and North, Poppit Sands, Broad Haven (North), Newgale, Dale, Whitesands and Coppet Hall. Saundersfoot and Tenby Castle beaches are also celebrating their 25th consecutive year holding Blue Flag status—an international mark of environmental quality administered by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). All of Pembrokeshire's Blue Flag beaches have successfully retained their awards from last year. In addition to its Blue Flag successes, Pembrokeshire also leads Wales in the number of Green Coast Awards, which are given to more remote, unspoilt beaches with high environmental standards. Of the 13 Green Coast Awards presented this year, seven went to Pembrokeshire beaches: Aberiddy, Freshwater East, Manorbier, Penally, Caerfai, Druidstone and West Angle Bay. The Green Coast Award celebrates lesser-known, 'hidden gem' beaches that offer natural beauty alongside excellent water quality and environmental care. Keep Wales Tidy has managed the Wales Coast Awards for over 20 years. The awards play a vital role in protecting the Welsh marine environment and are internationally recognised as a symbol of quality. To qualify, beaches must meet rigorous criteria on water quality, public information, environmental education, safety, and site management. In addition to the Blue Flag and Green Coast accolades, 15 beaches across Wales earned the Seaside Award—a UK-only honour that signifies clean, attractive, and well-managed stretches of coastline. This year's Seaside Award winners include Aberystwyth South and North, New Quay Harbour, Aberavon in Neath Port Talbot, and Whitmore Bay and Jackson's Bay in Barry Island. Owen Derbyshire, Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, praised Pembrokeshire's outstanding performance. 'The Wales Coast Awards are a fantastic celebration of Wales' beautiful and diverse coastline,' he said. 'They are testament to the huge effort of staff and volunteers at sites across Wales. Thank you to everyone who works so hard to protect and preserve our natural landscape in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances.' Cllr Rhys Sinnett, Cabinet Member for Residents' Services at Pembrokeshire County Council, said: 'We are incredibly proud to once again receive the highest number of Wales Coast Awards. Pembrokeshire is rightly recognised as being home to some of the world's best beaches, but it takes hard work and year-round commitment to maintain these standards and secure prestigious awards like the Blue Flag and Green Coast.' 'We look forward to welcoming both residents and visitors to our outstanding beaches this summer.' A full list of this year's award-winning beaches is available on the Keep Wales Tidy website.
Leader Live
15-05-2025
- Leader Live
Denbighshire and Anglesey beaches among Wales' best at awards
Environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy announced the recipients of its annual Coast Awards on Thursday (May 15). A total of 49 sites received awards: A post shared by Wales Coast Awards (@walescoastawards) Blue Flag Award The Blue Flag Award is one of the world's most recognised awards for beaches, marinas and boats. It is awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to beaches that adhere to specific criteria that ensures the beach or marina is: Seaside Award The Seaside Award is a UK-only beach award available in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Its distinctive yellow and blue flag signifies a clean, attractive and well-managed coastal stretch, with a good standard of water quality, public facilities, safety provision and management. Green Coast Award Green Coast Awards celebrates the "hidden gems" of the Welsh coastline and shows a site is: The 49 sites that received a Wales Coast Award in 2025 are: Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, Owen Derbyshire, said: "The Wales Coast Awards are a fantastic celebration of Wales' beautiful and diverse coastline and are testament to the huge effort of staff and volunteers at sites across Wales. "Thank you to everyone who works so hard to protect and preserve our natural landscape in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances.' There were three beaches in North Wales named among the nation's best at the Coast Awards: Silver Bay was one of 13 beaches in Wales to receive a Green Coast Award. (Image: Getty Images) Silver Bay, in Rhoscolyn, was one of 13 locations in Wales to receive a Green Coast Award in 2025. Keep Wales Tidy describes the private beach, located in the Silver Bay Holiday Park, as one of the "hidden gems" of the Welsh coastline. It added: "The Green Coast Award marks Silver Bay as an exceptional place to enjoy stunning scenery, rich coastal heritage and diversity. "It joins the likes of Mwnt and Penbryn in Ceredigion and Freshwater East and Manobier in Pembrokeshire in being commended for unspoilt beauty, excellent water quality and a high standard of environmental education." Prestatyn Central was also recognised among Wales' best beaches in the 2025 Coast Awards. (Image: Tripadvisor) Prestatyn Central was recognised among the best in Wales with a Seaside Award. The North Wales beach is described as a "much-loved tourist destination" and is popular for its wide, sandy beaches and water sports (including surfing, sailing and windsurfing). Prestatyn Central boasts a 4.3 (out of 5) rating on Tripadvisor from 84 reviews (at the time of writing). One person described it as "my favourite beach", before adding: "This is a lovely Beach, my husband grew up staying with his nan & grandad during the school holidays at Lido beach caravan park so it's always been a favourite. "It's clean, tidy and my grandchildren love it. Will continue to visit this for years to come." RECOMMENDED READING: Secret North Wales beach named among the best in the UK and a must visit The 2 'beautiful' North Wales beaches with 'golden sand' among the UK's best Seaside town in North Wales with 'surprisingly blue waters' among UK's prettiest Rhyl East, which is a "long-sandy stretch of coastline", also received a Seaside Award in 2025. It was also commended for its dedicated zone for beach sport activities including kite surfing, wind surfing and kayaking.
North Wales Live
15-05-2025
- North Wales Live
The North Wales beaches recognised for their clean waters and beautiful environments
Four North Wales beaches have been recognised for their clean water and beautiful environments in this year's Keep Wales Tidy Awards 2025. The environmental charity said: "Wales boasts some of the most stunning and diverse coastline in the UK. "The Wales Coast Awards play a vital role in protecting our precious marine environment and are recognised around the world as a symbol of quality. We've managed the Blue Flag, Green Coast Award and Seaside Award for more than 20 years. "To attain one of these prestigious awards a beach, marina or tourism boat operator must meet and maintain the highest environmental standards and achieve tough water quality targets." The winners of this years awards were: Green Coast Award: Silver Bay (Traeth Llydan) Anglesey The Green Coast award recognises the beautiful, untouched, rugged beaches that line so much of our coast. They may not have the facilities of more traditional seaside resorts, but Green Coast Award beaches have excellent water quality and are held to high environmental standards. According to Keep Wales Tidy: "Silver Bay is a beautiful, remote beach facing south into Cymyran Bay. The beach is wide and sandy with rocky outcrops to clamber over and plenty of opportunities for rock pooling. "It is also popular for sailing, surfing and canoeing. The beach is backed by a conifer plantation, a Holiday Park and farmland and is bound by low rocky headlands. "There is no direct vehicular access to the beach and visitors should park at neighbouring Borth Wen beach before using the spectacular Anglesey Coast Path to access Silver Bay beach. "The path follows the coast in both directions and offers fine views of the Rhosneigr beaches to the south. In keeping with its rural location there are no facilities at the beach but the nearby resort of Trearddur, to the north, has a selection of shops and services and hosts a popular annual oyster festival. Between Rhoscolyn and Treaddur is the Porth Diana Nature Reserve, home to the spotted rock rose, Anglesey's county flower." Seaside Awards: Rhyl Central, Rhyl East, Prestatyn Central With a distinctive yellow and blue flag The Seaside Awards is given to attractive and well-managed coastal stretches. According to Keep Wales Tidy Prestatyn Central Beach "is located between the Ffrith and Barkby Beaches, only half a mile from the town centre". They said: "It is popular for watersports including surfing, sailing and windsurfing and has a large tidal range. "A promenade joining Prestatyn's three beaches is more than 4 miles long and offers pleasant walking around the sandy bays. The promenade forms part of the North Wales Path. The beach also marks the beginning of the Offa's Dyke National Trail, which runs south to Chepstow, marking the boundary between Wales and England. "There are cafes near the beach as well as a play area, leisure centre and traditional seaside amusements. A wide range of shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants can be found in the town centre. The area is an ideal base for cycling, with two local cycle routes starting in Prestatyn, one of which takes in the picturesque Dyserth Waterfall."
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Wales Online
13 'untouched' Welsh beaches win awards for unspoiled beauty and clean water
13 'untouched' Welsh beaches win awards for unspoiled beauty and clean water The winner of the Green Coast Awards have been announced which recognise smaller, untouched beaches Beautiful Mwnt in Ceredigion is among the beaches that have been praised (Image: Getty ) Wales' stunning beaches have once again been recognised for their beauty, cleanliness, and high standards, as Keep Wales Tidy has announced the winners of the 2025 Wales Coast Awards. Most people have heard of the Blue Flag Award which is a global symbol of clean, well-managed beaches with excellent water quality and facilities. But there's also another important award: the Green Coast Award. The award celebrates hidden gems along the Welsh coast - beaches known for their natural beauty, clean water, and strong commitment to the environment. It recognised the beautiful, untouched, rugged beaches that line our coast that may not have the facilities of more traditional seaside resorts. But they are held to high environmental standards. This year, 13 beaches in Wales have earned the Green Coast Award. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here . The beaches which have earned the award include: Silver Bay, Anglesey Cilborth, Ceredigion Llanrhystud, Ceredigion Mwnt, Ceredigion Penbryn, Ceredigion Abereiddy, Pembrokeshire Freshwater, East Pembrokeshire Manorbier, Pembrokeshire Penally, Pembrokeshire Caerfai, Pembrokeshire Druidstone, Pembrokeshire West Angle Bay, Pembrokeshire Bracelet Bay, Swansea Article continues below Pembrokeshire leads the way with the most winners including seven beaches: Abereiddy, Freshwater East, Manorbier, Penally, Caerfai, Druidston, and West Angle Bay. Ceredigion follows with four award-winning beaches: Cilborth, Llanrhystud, Mwnt, and Penbryn. Bracelet Bay in Swansea and Traeth Llydan in Rhoscolyn, Anglesey, also retained their awards. These beaches offer more than just a beautiful view as they also promote environmental education, meet strict water quality standards, and are well managed to keep them safe and enjoyable for visitors. Alongside the Green Coast winners, 21 beaches across Wales received the prestigious Blue Flag Award for their excellent facilities, safety, and water quality. An extra 15 beaches also received the Seaside Award, which recognises clean, attractive, and well-managed beaches in the UK. These beaches fly a yellow and blue flag as a symbol of their quality. Article continues below
