Lisburn comes up smelling of roses: City scoops Ulster in Bloom award

Lisburn has scooped a 2016 Translink Ulster in Bloom award in recognition of its sweet smelling floral backdrop.
Brian Goodfellow, Translink; Cllr Brian Bloomfield MBE, Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh; Alderman Freda Donnelly, Vice President of NI Local Government Association; Dawn McEntee, Hillsborough Village Committee; Frank Hewitt, Translink Chairman; Nessa O'Callaghan, Hillsborough Village Committee; Derek and Eleanor Alexander, Hillsborough Horticultural Society; William Torrens and Mark Gregg, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.Brian Goodfellow, Translink; Cllr Brian Bloomfield MBE, Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh; Alderman Freda Donnelly, Vice President of NI Local Government Association; Dawn McEntee, Hillsborough Village Committee; Frank Hewitt, Translink Chairman; Nessa O'Callaghan, Hillsborough Village Committee; Derek and Eleanor Alexander, Hillsborough Horticultural Society; William Torrens and Mark Gregg, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.
Brian Goodfellow, Translink; Cllr Brian Bloomfield MBE, Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh; Alderman Freda Donnelly, Vice President of NI Local Government Association; Dawn McEntee, Hillsborough Village Committee; Frank Hewitt, Translink Chairman; Nessa O'Callaghan, Hillsborough Village Committee; Derek and Eleanor Alexander, Hillsborough Horticultural Society; William Torrens and Mark Gregg, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.

The green fingers of the city’s civic gardeners attracted praise from the expert judges as Lisburn was recognised with the ‘Roses in Towns’ award in this year’s competition. There was also success for Hillsborough, which took third place in the Large Village category.

Among those who attended the awards presentation at the Royal Court Hotel in Portrush were Mayor Brian Bloomfield, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council workers and representatives of Hillsborough Village Committee and Hillsborough Horticultural Society.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We were absolutely delighted to be among the prize winners as the standard of competition was very, very high in all the categories,” Cllr Bloomfield said. “To get two awards - one first place and one third place - was very pleasing.”

The Mayor congratulated council Parks and Cemeteries Manager Mark Gregg and his team of gardeners on their success.

The annual horticultural competition encourages cities, towns and villages across Northern Ireland to look their best, boosting civic pride through beautiful plant and floral displays. Now in its 38th year, all 11 local councils participated in the 2016 competition which attracted 156 entries.

Translink Chairman, Frank Hewitt, commented: “Congratulations to all the 2016 Translink Ulster in Bloom winners and runners-up. You make Northern Ireland an attractive place to live and visit and I would like to thank all of you for your time and effort all year round.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with local councils, business and community groups to make a lasting positive difference to local areas and ultimately boost societal wellbeing.”

The Translink Ulster in Bloom Competition is co-ordinated by the Northern Ireland local Government Association (NILGA).

Alderman Freda Donnelly, NILGA Vice President, said: “Translink Ulster in Bloom celebrates the successes that can be achieved when we come together to take pride in the places we live and work, and together, create a better environment for everyone to enjoy.

“With the ongoing partnership support of the 11 councils and our sponsors Translink, NILGA is totally committed to building on the culture of the competition and growing it into the future through the councils’ community planning powers. People in local places can really influence local decisions, which is great for democracy and great for Northern Ireland, we want to champion the role of communities and councils in decision making, take pride in the places we love, and invest in them.”

For more information click on www.translink.co.uk/ulsterinbloom/ or follow @Translink_NI #ulsterinbloom