Council receives six Green Flag Awards
October 13, 2020
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has been awarded six prestigious Green Flag Awards from the environmental charity - Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.
The council is delighted that Billy Neill MBE Country Park and Bells Lane Allotments (including Bells Lane Park & the BMX track) have been awarded a Green Flag for the very first time. Meanwhile, Moat Park, Moira Demesne, Castle Gardens and Wallace Park in Lisburn have all maintained their Green Flag status.
The Green Flag Award is an internationally recognised certification and rewards well managed parks and green spaces in the UK. These awards are a symbol to the public that the outdoor spaces they are visiting are managed to an excellent standard.
The Mayor, Councillor Nicholas Trimble, speaking about the six awards, said:
“I am delighted that we have received recognition for six of our parks and open spaces, including Bells Lane Allotments and Billy Neill MBE Country Park receiving their first-ever Green Flag Award.
“Our parks team and volunteers work hard all year round to maintain these green spaces to a very high standard. These awards highlight to the local Lisburn & Castlereagh community that our green spaces are well managed and offer excellent facilities. I would like to congratulate everyone involved.
“For many during lockdown, the council’s parks and open spaces provided a safe environment for families and individuals to get outdoors, exercise and to connect with nature. Having access to these high-quality recreational spaces offers huge mental and physical benefits for our residents.
“We are proud to have so many wonderful green spaces for people to experience and we encourage everyone to head outdoors.”
Also speaking about the awards, Alderman Michael Henderson MBE, Chairman of the Leisure & Community Development Committee, said:
“I am pleased that two of our sites have received their first-ever Green Flag Award and that Moat Park, Moira Demesne, Castle Gardens and Wallace Park have retained their Green Flag status.
"Receiving this national recognition is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and volunteers. Parks and open spaces wishing to achieve Green Flag status must have a site management plan in place and be able to demonstrate they comply with a range of strict criteria including horticultural standards, cleanliness, environmental management, biodiversity, community involvement and safety standards. I would like to thank the entire team for their efforts and continued commitment to excellence in our green spaces.
"We are extremely proud that our council area has so many wonderful parks and open spaces and they offer the perfect surroundings for outdoor activities. We will continue to fly the Green Flag in recognition of the outstanding quality of our six award-winning green spaces. As a council, we are committed to preserving Northern Ireland’s outdoor spaces and keeping them beautiful.”
Dr Ian Humphreys, Chief Executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful said:
“Northern Ireland’s parks and open spaces play a hugely important role in supporting our local communities, both in terms of providing recreational space but also for supporting health and wellbeing. This has been highlighted now more than ever as our parks and open spaces provided a haven to many during the difficult lockdown period. It is fantastic to see such a high number of sites in Northern Ireland meeting the international standard for excellence.”
If you are interested in finding out more information about the Green Flag Award or other programmes run by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, please e-mail enquiries@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org or visit www.keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org.
