The best parks in the North East you definitely need to visit this summer

A record breaking 1,797 UK parks and green spaces have this year won a prestigious Green Flag Award including 45 in the North East.

This international award, now into its third decade claims that those parks which win “boast the highest possible environmental standards, are beautifully maintained and have excellent visitor facilities” - in other words they’re a great place for a day out.

Here we list a selection of the region’s top parks and public spaces you might want to check out for yourself.

Jesmond Dene is a beautiful wooded valley and for families there is the ever popular Pets’ Corner and there are many historical features in the park.

Walker Park dates back to 1891 and was designed to provide a pleasant green space for the local people living in a large industrial area.

Saltwell Park, known as The People’s Park, opened to the public in 1876 and still attracts around two million. Between 2000 and 2005, a £9.7 million grant resulted in the park being renovated and the results were hugely impressive.