Sensory garden part of £4k Mill Pond upgrade

Carrickfergus Amphitheatre’s Mill Pond area is to undergo a £4,000 transformation thanks to a team of eco-friendly pupils.
The award-winning team from Carrickfergus College: Phillip Lindsay, Marc Cummings, Jordan Griffin and Noah Barnley (not pictured, Jonny Brown) INCT 01-708-CONThe award-winning team from Carrickfergus College: Phillip Lindsay, Marc Cummings, Jordan Griffin and Noah Barnley (not pictured, Jonny Brown) INCT 01-708-CON
The award-winning team from Carrickfergus College: Phillip Lindsay, Marc Cummings, Jordan Griffin and Noah Barnley (not pictured, Jonny Brown) INCT 01-708-CON

The year 11 participants from Carrickfergus College impressed judges in the AES Eco-Challenge Competition and secured funding for the project.

In partnership with Carrickfergus Borough Council, work is expected to commence soon on a sensory garden, bird and bat boxes, hedgehog homes and insect hotels, recycling bins and display boards to raise the profile of environmental awareness and the importance of biodiversity.

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Alison Diver, Natural Communities outreach officer with the local government authority, explained: “It was a Dragons’ Den style competition and the group had to pitch their ideas to a panel. The best initiative would win £4000 funding.

“Part of the criteria was that the pupils had to work in partnership with a business so ‘The Economical Environmentalists’ from Carrickfergus College got in touch with me. I thought it was a great project so met up with them a few times to develop the ideas and plan before the pitch.

“The group decided to improve the Mill Pond area in Carrickfergus which is owned by Carrickfergus Council. The group were keen to develop a central area so as many people as possible could enjoy/learn from the initiative.”

Carrick College extended congratulations to the team: Jordan Griffin, Marc Cummings, Philip Lindsay, Noah Barnley and Jonny Brown.