Westward Ho! beach will fly the Blue Flag again for 2025

Westward Ho! has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Award for the summer 2025 season, retaining its flag for the 22nd year in a row. 

The beach is one of only 55 sites across Britain to meet the stringent criteria to achieve both accolades.

Blue Flag, the world’s most recognised award for beaches and marinas, is an environmental education programme managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education.

It is only presented to beaches with water which has achieved the highest classification as set by the EU Bathing Water Directive and has an environmental education programme. To qualify, each applicant must meet and maintain a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria.

The standards beaches are assessed against are:

Safety and services, such as first aid, lifeguards where necessary, plus environmental information including displaying details about local eco systems, as well as environmental management, including litter and waste.

Blue Flag beaches must meet the ‘excellent’ water quality standard as set out in the EU bathing water directive and Seaside Award winners must meet the 'sufficient’ standard.

Above: The beach is popular with all manner of water users and is one of only 55 locations in Britain to have both a Blue Flag and Seaside Award simultaneously. Credit: TDC

Councillor Lyndon Piper, lead member for leisure at Torridge District Council, said: “With more people choosing to holiday at home, and the growing popularity of water sports and cold-water swimming, looking after our coastline and maintaining the excellent water quality has never been more important.

“A Blue Flag shows locals and visitors that they have arrived at a clean, safe and beautiful beach. It is also a mark of quality that sets the beach out as an asset to its community and local businesses.

“We are very lucky in Torridge to have such a fantastic beach right on our doorstep. Along with Northam Burrows it forms an integral part of North Devon’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

“It’s vital that we continue to maintain the highest possible standards for our natural environment and therefore we are immensely proud to be flying the Blue Flag at Westward Ho! for the 22nd year running!”