District is blooming lovely

District is blooming lovely

16 September 2015

LOCAL towns and villages have cleaned up in this year’s Ulster in Bloom competition.

Ballynahinch was named winner of the ‘Most Improved’ Award, Island Park in Newcastle was named winner of a special award for biodiversity, Saintfield was named runner up in the large village category, while Bryansford and Newcastle took third place in the small village and town categories respectively.

The annual horticultural competition encourages cities, towns and villages to look their best, boosting civic pride through beautiful plant and floral displays. 

Now in its 37th year, the competition attracted 163 entries representing local council areas, community groups, businesses, bus and train stations as well as nine community champion nominations.

Speaking at the results announcement ceremony in Cookstown last week, Bernard Mitchell, from competition sponsor Translink, offered his congratulations to all the winners and runners-up.

“Despite an inclement summer, they’ve managed to create exquisite plant and floral arrangements that demonstrate impressive horticultural skills,” he said.

“Their hard work plays an important role in making Northern Ireland a top visitor destination, creating an excellent first impression on visitors here.”