Mansfield has again retained its coveted Purple Flag status, confirming the town centre’s reputation for excellence in managing the evening and nighttime economy.

Managed by the Association of Town and City Managers, the Purple Flag initiative is a process similar to Green Flag awards for parks and the Blue Flag for beaches.

To gain Purple Flag status, towns and cities must “meet or surpass the standards of excellence in managing the evening and night time economy”.

After in-depth reviews and assessments, Mansfield first got its Purple Flag status in 2015, and, in order to retain it, has to submit reports on how it has further improved and how Purple Flag status has benefited the town centre.

The Purple Flag panel met on September 21 to make a final decision on all the recent Purple Flag submissions and confirmed that Mansfield has now received its Interim Renewal accreditation.

Mansfield set up a steering group to manage its Purple Flag submissions, and members include, among others, the Mansfield Association of Licensed Venues (MALV), Mansfield Business Improvement District, Mansfield District Council, Mansfield Partnership Against Crime (MPAC) and the police.

Sarah Nelson, from Mansfield BID, said: “This is fantastic news for Mansfield town centre. It’s confirmation that partnership working is about getting things done and celebrating what we do to make the town centre a great place to be in the evening.”

Paul Williams, operation manager for the Brunts Charity on Toothill Lane, said: “This is an outstanding result for Mansfield town centre. Congratulations to all those involved in the Purple Flag process.”

Coun Bill Drewett, portfolio holder for safer communities at Mansfield District Council said: “This is great news for Mansfield. The Purple Flag is a great example of partnership working to make our town welcoming, friendly and safe, ensuring that everyone has an enjoyable time while they’re here.

“Achieving accreditation again is a demonstration of the hard work of everyone involved including council officers, BID, the police and our quality licensed venues. I’d like to say thank you and congratulations to everyone involved; this is an excellent result for our town.”

For more about the BID, visit www.mansfieldbid.com

Pictured is the steering committee celebrating when the town first got the accreditation.