The University was awarded a Green Flag as well as a Special Green Flag Heritage Award for making the most of its unique heritage features, which enhance the experience of visitors to the campus.

The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the UK. It was first launched in 1996 to recognise and reward the best green spaces in the country and is an internationally recognised certification for environmental quality management for parks and open spaces. Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, an environmental charity, runs the scheme in Northern Ireland.

Damien Toner, Director of Estates at Queen’s University Belfast, commented:

"As a University, Queen’s is committed to maintaining our green spaces to a high level for the benefit of our staff, students, visitors and the wider local community, and I would encourage everyone to visit and enjoy this resource on our doorsteps. In particular, this award highlights the hard work of our Gardens and Grounds team. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their dedication to maintaining our campus to such exceptional standards – especially through the pandemic, during which our green spaces on campus have been more important than ever to our students, staff and visitors."

Commenting on this year's Awards, Rachel Vaughan, Local Environmental Manager at Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, who manages the Green Flag Awards programme, said:

"We all love a walk through the autumn leaves and it’s uplifting to discover a new spot to enjoy. When you visit a Green Flag park or open space you can be reassured that the location is being managed to a really high standard as they’ve been through a rigorous judging process that assesses sites across a range of issues including their horticultural standards, cleanliness, biodiversity and safety. And at time when many people’s finances are under pressure, it’s important to highlight the fact that all Green Flag spaces are free to everyone."