BURY’S coveted Purple Flag status is one every town in Greater Manchester should aspire to, says Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

Bury’s town centre has now held the status, which recognises standards of excellence in managing the evening and night time economy, for three years in a row.

It is the only town in Greater Manchester to hold the accreditation.

Mr Burnham said: “Bury deserves real credit for leading the way in Greater Manchester and achieving Purple Flag status for the third year in a row.

“I’ve been impressed by Bury’s commitment to the night-time economy which has helped support the town’s thriving nightlife.

“I’d encourage all boroughs to follow Bury’s lead so everyone in our city-region can enjoy safe and fun nights out in every part of Greater Manchester.”

Purple Flags are an accreditation similar to Green Flags for parks and Blue Flags for beaches.

To achieve Purple Flag status, the Bury team had to meet a number of criteria including cleanliness and safety, movement and transport, the range of attractions, entertainment and events, high quality environment and strong partnership

working.

Bury police superintendent Rick Jackson, values the Purple Flag scheme saying it puts all parties ‘on the same page’ to work towards a common goal.

He said: “It gives us all something to centre on.

“Bury is quite an iconic northern market town, it has all the different places to eat, bar, green spaces. But, all of this is only relevant if it’s a nice place that is safe to visit.”

Lorraine Beckett Murray, chairman of the Bury Pubwatch Group,added: “We will continue to work to provide an improved, safe and diverse night time offer so that all town centre users can enjoy a safe enjoyable night out.”

Since 2007, the programme has awarded the Purple Flag status to more than 70 towns and cities in the UK and Ireland.