Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful Announce Community Award Winners.
On Tuesday 12th February, volunteers gathered at the 3rd annual Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful Community Awards in Belfast City Hall with host, TV presenter Joe Mahon and guest speaker Jo Ruxton, filmmaker and campaigner who opened the eyes of the world to the problems of plastic in A Plastic Ocean and influenced Blue Planet II.
The evening was designed to recognise and thank all the volunteers who had been short listed for their continued hard work and dedication to the cause – with an opportunity to hear their inspirational stories which instil pride in our local communities through practical environmental action.
From regular litter picks to the creation of shared community spaces these unsung heroes dedicate their time and efforts into making our home cleaner, greener, safer and more sustainable.
The Adopt a Spot Award was won by the Shimna Eco Warriors. Shimna Integrated College have worked incredibly hard to develop good community relationships with their neighbours, particularly Glenfold Housing. As part of the Adopt A Spot programme they regularly clean up their school grounds and a wooded area within Donard Park which can be badly littered over the weekend. Raised beds have been developed in the school grounds and at Glenfold, and planted with winter veg. It is intended that the crop from the raised beds will supply the school canteen, a stall at Mourne Markets and for the residents to use freely.
The Newry, Mourne and Down Litter Heroes Award went to the Newry Reporter. The Newry Reporter and, in particular, Paul Welsh the Editor, have led the focus on improving the centre of Newry. Staff volunteered to get involved, rolling up their sleeves, proactively leading by example by taking steps to improve the environment in Newry including voluntary litter picks, voluntary weeding of streets and underpasses, repairing river walls and identifying ownership of abandoned land and co-ordinating both voluntary and public sector initiatives to improve these areas. They are constantly looking at where needs attention, tidying litter, weeding and engaging local groups such as Newry BID, local traders, Newry 2020, The Clanrye Group and members of the public to get involved.
Finally, The Good Neighbour Award presented by Choice Housing went to Lawrence Murphy of the Saintfield Development Association. Lawrence Murphy, chair of Saintfield Development Association is an inspiration. He goes beyond the call of duty and is a modest and dedicated community activist. It is not unusual to see Lawrence cutting grass, planting or litter picking at 5am or 10pm in the summer months. The community of Saintfield is a much richer place as a result of the hard work and dedication from Lawrence.
Guest Speaker Jo Ruxton thanked the volunteers and encouraged them to make a stand in their local communities and champion the reduction of litter: “Never underestimate just how much one single person can achieve. The problem might seem insurmountable but take that first step on your own and just watch how many people join you and help bring about change.”
Live Here Love Here Manager Jodie McAneaney said: “These awards are so important, they give us the opportunity to highlight the issues and reward those who are actively making a difference. Plastic in particular has been hitting the headlines this year with its devasting effects, making our special guest Jo Ruxton the perfect candidate to inspire us to really strive for change. The fact that every piece of plastic ever created is still on the planet is a real eye opener. Hopefully in 2019 our continued efforts and that of our volunteers and partners can make steps towards tackling this terrible problem.”
At Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful we run a number of campaigns and programmes that embody the values of Live Here Love Here which would not be possible without the help of our dedicated volunteers. If you would like to find out more or get involved with Live Here Love Here please visit our website:
Ards and North Down Litter Heroes Award:
Honorary Mention:
Phil Wilkinson
Laura Finnegan
Strangford Lough and Ards Peninsula Volunteer Rangers.
Winner: the Gibson family.
Newry, Mourne and Down Litter Heroes Award;
Honorary Mention:
Rostrevor Men’s Shed
Glasdrummond Community Association
Conor O’Loughlin, Inland Waterways Association Ireland – Newry and Portadown Branch.
Winner: Newry Reporter.
