Darwin Gardens
  • Home
  • About Darwin Gardens
    • History
    • Safety in Darwin Gardens
    • Darwin Gardens Millennium Green Trust
    • Management of the Gardens
    • Meetings of the Trust
  • Maps
  • Trails & Activities
  • News
  • Events
  • Green Flag Award
Select Page

Darwin Gardens awarded coveted Green Flag Award for 2026/27

Jul 14, 2026
Love Parks 2026

Love Parks 2026 24/07 to 02/08

Jul 02, 2026

Tree Trail Guided Walk 24/06/26

Jun 10, 2026

As Seen In The Press:

Reader Letter: Darwin Gardens – “A Great Resource For Our Town”
ILKLEY GAZETTE
Darwin Gardens Millennium Green is recognised as one of the UK’s very best green spaces.
ILKLEY GAZETTE
Ilkley – The town visited by everyone from Charles Darwin to Jimi Hendrix
YORKSHIRE POST
On the trail of Darwin in Ilkley
BBC News
A fun time was had by all who joined the Community A fun time was had by all who joined the Community Litter Pick in Darwin Gardens on Saturday 25th July. Thank you to everyone who took part and helped keep the gardens looking their best. Very little litter was found, which is a credit to the regular inspections and cleaning already carried out; now the gardens are looking spic and span, just in time for visitors to enjoy Love Parks Week (24 July - 02 August)! Please enjoy the gardens, and remember to put your litter in the bin or take it home with you. Thank you for helping us keep Darwin Gardens beautiful. #DarwinGardens #Ilkley #CommunityLitterPick #LoveParksWeek #KeepItClean #RespectOurParks #ProudOfOurParks #CommunitySpirit #ThankYou #LoveWhereYouLive #DiscoverIlkley #Ilkleychat #IlkleyGazette #Yourilkleyradio #KeepBritainTidy
🌿🌱🌳 IT'S TIME TO TOUCH GRASS! 🌳🌱🌿 Darwin Gardens 🌿🌱🌳 IT'S TIME TO TOUCH GRASS! 🌳🌱🌿 Darwin Gardens is currently joining in the nationwide Love Parks Week 2026 campaign, which runs from Friday 24th July to Sunday 2nd August, celebrating the joy, wellbeing and community value of green spaces. Everyone is warmly invited to enjoy Darwin Gardens over the course of this week (and at any time throughout the year!), whether by exploring the maze, following the trails, enjoying a picnic, or simply spending time in the fresh air with family and friends. For further information about Love Parks week, please visit the Darwin Gardens website: https://darwingardens.org.uk/love-parks-2026 #LoveParksWeek #DarwinGardens #KeepBritainTidy #FamilyFun #Ilkley #touchgrass
It’s Love Parks week at Darwin Gardens! Join us f It’s Love Parks week at Darwin Gardens! Join us from 24 July to 2 August 2026 to celebrate everything we love about our green space – the maze, the trails, the fresh air, the wildlife and the chance to make happy memories together. Why not plan a family picnic? Teddy bears, superheroes, picnic blankets and flask-filled adventures all welcome 🧸🧺🍎 Please remember to bring your own water bottle; there is no fresh water supply at Darwin Gardens. And while you’re here, please help us keep the Gardens beautiful for everyone: use the bin, or take your rubbish home. For further information about Love Parks week, please visit the Darwin Gardens website: https://darwingardens.org.uk/love-parks-2026 #LoveParksWeek #DarwinGardens #KeepBritainTidy #FamilyFun #Ilkley
COMMUNITY LITTER PICK Come along to Darwin Garde COMMUNITY LITTER PICK Come along to Darwin Gardens and join our community litter pick this Saturday 25th July between 10:30am and 11.30am. Please bring your own gloves (if required) and water bottle to stay hydrated, as litter picking can be thirsty work 🥤 We will be meeting in the Darwin Gardens car park at 10:30am – hope to see you there! #DarwinGardens #ParksForPeople #EnjoyAndProtect #litterpicking #litterpick #ilkley
The Darwin Gardens Millennium Green Trust is very The Darwin Gardens Millennium Green Trust is very happy to announce that Darwin Gardens, the lovingly-restored green space that celebrated its 25-year anniversary last year, has once again received a coveted Green Flag Award for 2026/27. The Green Flag Award is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces. Ilkley’s Darwin Gardens Millennium Green, having met the high standards required for the accreditation, has officially been recognised as one of the country’s best parks. Cllr Catherine Cheater, Chair of the Darwin Gardens Millennium Green Trust, was thrilled to hear the news: "We are absolutely delighted that Darwin Gardens has been recognised with a Green Flag Award for 2026/2027. This is a wonderful achievement and a testament to the hard work, commitment and care shown by our volunteers, officers and partners. Darwin Gardens is a much-loved green space for the community, and we are proud to see it continue to flourish for residents and visitors alike." More information about the Green Flag Award can be found on the Darwin Gardens website: https://darwingardens.org.uk/the-green-flag-award #ilkley #greenflagaward #ilkleymoor #darwingardensilkley #visitilkley
🌲🌳🌲Enjoy a guided Tree Walk and visit the newly-re 🌲🌳🌲Enjoy a guided Tree Walk and visit the newly-refurbished Maze Board at Darwin Gardens. The Darwin Gardens Trust invites you to join a gentle Tree Walk, led by local guide Sue Stevens. The walk offers a relaxed opportunity to discover and learn about some of the beautiful and historic trees in Darwin Gardens. Wednesday 24th June 10am to 11am Meet at the noticeboard in the Darwin Gardens car park Whilst you’re there, why not take a look at the recently-refurbished Maze Board! The maze, which is made of 1,000 stones, was created to celebrate the year 2000. Each flagstone was individually donated and the Maze Board lists all the wonderful donors.
We're excited that the grass around the dedicated We're excited that the grass around the dedicated stones in Darwin Gardens has now been edged, revealing the intricate maze in all its glory. The Darwin Gardens Maze Board, which details all 1,000 dedications, is currently being remade (due to the previous board suffering from wear and tear); it will be back in place as soon as possible. #DarwinGardens #ilkley #ilkleymoors #greenflagawardwinner #darwingardens #ilkleymoor #darwingardensilkley #visitilkley #Ilkley
Where has the Darwin Gardens Maze Board gone? The Where has the Darwin Gardens Maze Board gone? The maze features 1000 individually donated flagstones, one for each year of the Millennium. The maze board gives the name of each donor and shows the location of each stone by its number. The board has just celebrated its 25th birthday and, in honour of this, it’s being refurbished and is on track to be re-installed early in 2026. We'll keep you updated once the new board is in position! @ilkleychat @discoverilkleyls29 #DarwinGardens #ilkley #GreenFlagAward #darwingardens #greenflagawardwinner #greenflagaward #ilkleymoor #darwingardensilkley
Come and spend an hour in Darwin Gardens, explorin Come and spend an hour in Darwin Gardens, exploring the wonderful array of trees that grow there. Sue Stevens, the author of the Darwin Gardens and Ilkley Moor Tree Trail, will lead a guided tour on Wednesday 6th August at 10:30am, meeting in Darwin Gardens car park from 10.15am. The tour will last approximately 60 minutes. It will be an easy walk around Darwin Gardens and surrounding grassed areas. The walk includes 3 steps at the beginning which can be avoided with a short detour. For more information about the Tree Trail, visit our Darwin Gardens and Ilkley Moor Tree Trail page: https://darwingardens.org.uk/darwin-gardens-and-ilkley-moor-tree-trail/ #ilkleymoors #ilkley #darwingardens #walk #ilkleymoor #darwingardensilkley #visitilkley #Ilkley #TreeTrail #treetrail #treetrails
We’re excited to be taking part in this year’s Lov We’re excited to be taking part in this year’s Love Parks campaign, organised by Keep Britain Tidy. Love Parks is a week-long celebration highlighting the vital role green spaces play in boosting the health and wellbeing of residents and communities. Head on over to the Darwin Gardens website to get some inspiration for activity ideas over Love Parks week and the rest of the summer holidays! https://darwingardens.org.uk/love-parks-25-jul-03-aug-2025/ #LoveParks #DarwinGardens #ilkleymoors #ilkley #darwingardens #ilkleymoor #darwingardensilkley #visitilkley #loveilkley #Ilkley #exploreilkley #discoverilkley
Follow on Instagram
Green Flag Award

Home    About    Maps    Trails    News

Darwin Gardens, Ilkley, West Yorkshire

2025 Darwin Gardens

Follow Us
  • Follow
  • Follow