Mayor praises city's win in Ulster in Bloom

This is the third consecutive year that the city has clinched the prestigious title and comes as the city is basking in the glory of its City of Culture 2013 status.

Expressing his delight at the win, the Mayor said it was a tremendous achievement for the city and everyone involved in the campaign.

"We are very proud of our city and are delighted that we have retained the City title and will represent Northern Ireland in the city category of the Britain in Bloom competition later in the year.

"A lot of hard work has gone into this campaign, the ground maintenance staff of the Council have ensured that our city is clean, colourful and welcoming for locals and visitors.

"It's important that we all get involved in making our city beautiful. It's all about pride and encouraging people to be proud of where they come from," he said.

The city's train station was also awarded joint third place in the floral station category of the awards.

The Mayor attended the awards ceremony along with representatives from the Council's City Engineer's department. The competition is held annually and awards statutory agencies and local communities for their dedication in improving the appearance of areas across Northern Ireland.

The Translink Ulster in Bloom Competition is organised by the Northern Ireland Local Government Association with the support of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.