'Love Parks Week' saved by Keep Britain Tidy

Keep Britain Tidy has stepped in to save Love Parks Week following the news that national parks charity GreenSpace was forced to close in March this year. Keep Britain Tidy already run the Green Flag Award scheme celebrating the country’s best parks and green spaces and the decision was taken that the flagship campaign should be rescued to run alongside it. Love Parks Week, which runs from 27th July to 4th August. Keep Britain Tidy has also announced that they will also be using Love Parks Week as the launch pad for building a new coalition of key partners to develop the week of action and, beyond this, build it into a year round ‘Love Parks’ campaign. The partnership is in its infancy but is likely to include Groundwork, the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, as well as partner organisations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Love Parks Week was launched in 2006 to raise awareness of the importance of green space. Last year, more than 1,000 events took place during the week, encouraging more than 1.4 million people to head down to a beautiful park or green space. Despite the tight timescale to deliver this year’s campaign, Keep Britain Tidy hope the week will be another huge success, encouraging hundreds of thousands of people to celebrate the country’s fantastic green spaces. Their Chief Executive Phil Barton said: “We know that  parks and green spaces are an essential asset to every community and make a major contribution to people’s health. That is why we were determined that Love Parks Week should be saved. By bringing together Love Parks Week and our Green Flag Award programme, our goal is to encourage millions more people to visit, enjoy and take pride in their local parks and green space. Ultimately, we believe everyone has a right to good quality green space on their doorstep and there is a huge body of research shows that they are an essential component of healthy, happy and strong communities. In addition, I’m excited at the prospect of a new coalition of organisations coming together in support of a broader year round Love Parks campaign. While it’s early days, the fact that we can use Love Parks as a rallying call to bring the sector together in the face of substantial budget cuts and threats to park services means we can continue to demonstrate just how valuable our parks and green spaces really are."

Carrickfergus Borough Council who have supported Love Parks Week over the years, has welcomed the move by Keep Britain Tidy. A Council spokeperson said "We showcase are Parks during Love Parks Week to celebrate that quality green spaces are essential to healthy, happy communities.  See the Council's Love Parks webpage at www.carrickfergus.org/loveparks."

Peregine Watch

Like to meet the Whitehead peregrine family? You can on Saturday 8th June at 10am (to 12noon) in Beach Road Nature Reserve, Whitehead. Bring binoculars /telescopes if you have them. Park by the Scout Hut and join local expert Ian Enlander and Biodiversity Officer Ben Simon. For further information contact Ben Simon at 07841927919.

Launch of Carrickfergus in Bloom 2013

This lunchtime (24th May) Alderman May Beattie, Chairperson of the Parks, Countryside & Amenities sub-committee will launch Carrickfergus in Bloom 2013 in the grounds of the Andrew Jackson Cottage. School children from throughout Carrickfergus Borough and Community representatives will also be joining in, to the sounds of the APEX Jazz Band.

Ash Dieback at Diamond Jubilee Wood

Carrickfergus Borough Council has temporarily closed Whitehead Diamond Jubilee Wood to aid the efficient removal of the infected ash trees.The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) advised the Council earlier this month that two of its parks have been affected by the fungus disease Chalara fraxinea, which is commonly referred to as Ash Dieback. The two sites are Diamond Jubilee Wood in Whitehead and Bashfordsland Wood in Carrickfergus. Bashfordsland Wood remains open. Carrickfergus Borough Council is taking every precaution to limit the spread of the disease in conjunction with both the Forest Service and DARD. Ash Dieback is a serious disease which causes leaf loss and crown dieback in affected trees, which can lead to tree death. Ash trees suffering with the infection have been found widely across Europe.
The wood will remain closed while the Contractor carries out the removal of the infected ash trees. We would like to apologise to those who use the park, although it is hoped that the wood will reopen on Friday subject to DARD approval. We would ask members of the public to help us to prevent the further spread of Ash Dieback by taking a number of precautionary measures when visiting the Whitehead Diamond Jubilee Wood or Bashfordsland Wood:

• Keep to obvious paths and keep dogs on a leash
• Watch out for information notices
• Do not take plants or cuttings from our parks
• Avoid dumping garden waste in the countryside
• Familiarise yourselves with common plant pests and diseases

Carrickfergus Borough Council has put together advice and guidance for residents as to what to look for, who to contact and where to go for information about Ash Dieback. Visit our website: www.carrickfergus.org/ashdieback

Council thanks its Parks Staff

Alderman May Beattie, Chairperson of the Parks, Countryside & Amenities Sub-Committee hosted a lunchtime reception at Carrickfergus Town Hall on Friday 19th April 2013. The purpose was to say a big thank you to the Council’s Parks & Countryside team following the recent awarding of the Translink Ulster in Bloom ‘Roses in Towns’ Trophy. Last September it was announced that Carrickfergus Town had been award the Ulster in Bloom ‘Roses in Towns’ Trophy and at an award ceremony last month Council was presented with the beautiful crystal award. The Roses in Towns Trophy, is presented annually to the Council area with the best display of roses. Our rose displays on Belfast Road, impressed not only the Ulster in Bloom judges but the residents of the town also. To win this much coveted award; a big thanks must go to our loyal Parks & Countryside team for all their hard work yet again this year. The Parks and Countryside Team have made a significant contribution over many years to our beautiful blooming Borough. Our green spaces always look fantastic, not just when the ‘in bloom’ judges are visiting us, and is a real credit to all the Council staff involved."

Community Gardeners at Work in Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus Community Gardeners renovated a piece of green space between St. Nicholas Church and Market Place in Carrickfergus Town Centre on Saturday 9th March 2013. Well done to all involved.

Positive Play at Legg Park

Since September last year PlayBoard have been delivering a programme of outdoor play activities at Legg Park in Carrickfergus and two other parks in Antrim and Newtownabbey Council areas.

The programme has been funded by the CAN PEACE III Partnership. The CAN PEACE III Partnership is funded by the European Programme for Peace and Reconciliation which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. The Partnership is made up of representatives from across the three council areas and is working to build positive relations and develop a confident and peaceful future for all.

Despite the wintry weather conditions over the past few months, PlayBoard’s Play Development Officers have been supporting children to become involved in a wide range of outdoor play activities within the parks. Activities have included den making, outdoor arts and crafts, traditional outdoor games and even cooking marshmallows around a fire pit!

The programme, which will run in each of the parks until the end of the summer has proven to be a big hit with children, parents and carers alike.

Speaking about the programme Alan Herron, PlayBoard’s Director of Service Delivery and Development said ““PlayBoard are delighted to be working in partnership with the CAN PEACE III Partnership and the three councils, delivering a programme supporting children’s play which is in line with the NI Executive’s Play and Leisure Policy and the PEACE III objectives”.

Alan continued “The Positive Play Programme is helping to make the parks more open and accessible for local people; with children, young people and their parents all reporting that they feel more comfortable playing in the parks, even during the winter months”.

Eamonn Keenan, a member of the Play Development team helping to deliver the programme explained, “At the outset many parents reported fears at allowing their children to play outdoors in the parks because of the dark nights. These fears have been addressed by the PlayBoard team’s presence in the parks, and thanks to the project over 320 children have been able to benefit to date from the outdoor play sessions.”

Early evaluations of the programme have indicated that it has really made an impact, with one parent saying “The PlayBoard programme is providing children and young people with a great opportunity to play outdoors in the parks - especially during the winter months when the cold, dark nights tend to keep them indoors”. Another said “The children can’t wait to come along to the PlayBoard play sessions – even the cold, dark and wet nights don’t deter them!.”

Congratulating PlayBoard on the success of the initiative, Councillor Noreen McClelland, Chair of the CAN PEACE III Partnership said “We on the PEACE III Partnership are delighted with the results from this programme. Parks and green spaces should be places for all of our community to enjoy all year round. This programme encourages families to come out to play in and enjoy their local parks”

For further details on when the play programmes are running in each of the 3 parks, please contact PlayBoard on 028 9080 3380 or visit the PlayBoard NI Facebook page.