Allotment Workshops, June 2015

Mid & East Antrim Borough Council’s Allotment Services will be holding a series of Allotment Workshops this June.  Alison Diver, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council’s Growing Communities Officer, said “We would like to invite anyone interested in learning more about growing their own food along to our FREE workshops. This is a great opportunity to see what other people are growing, learn some new skills and make some new friends.”

Details of training workshops are as follows:

Saturday 6^th June – Preparing & Maintaining Your Plot for Success

·         Eden Allotments: 11am-12pm

·         Greenisland Allotments:  1pm-2pm

Saturday 13^th June – Sowing from Seed & Other Propagation Methods

·         Eden Allotments: 11am-12pm

·         Greenisland Allotments:  1pm-2pm

Saturday 20^th June – Making your own Compost & Fertilizer

·         Eden Allotments: 11am-12pm

·         Greenisland Allotments:  1pm-2pm

Participants are advised to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for these outdoor events. Some materials and tools will be provided but attendees are encouraged to bring their own.

Allotments can provide a great sense of well-being and give pleasure and satisfaction to people who through their own skills and effort produce their own food and of course in addition allotments are also beneficial to the environment and wildlife generally. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is committed to improving the quality of life for all the people of Borough through the services it provides, including our allotment service.

Woollen Woods Grand Opening

Saturday 16th May 2015 saw the grand opening of the first Woollen Wood in Northern Ireland at Diamond Jubilee Wood, Whitehead.

To mark the occasion Mid and East Antrim Borough Council held a free family fun day with arts and craft workshops such as pom-pom making, felting and origami and environmental activities including bug hunting and pond dipping.

Alison Diver (Growing Communities Officer, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) said "This is a wonderful project in collaboration with Voluntary Arts and Lighthouse Yarns which has brought the arts and the environment together and we are pleased that so many people have gotten involved. The woollen creations on site are amazing, we even had a woolly clown and skeleton on Saturday! The wool installation will be on display throughout the summer in Diamond Jubilee Wood so why not go and see for yourself?"

More info on Woollen Woods can be found here 

For further information:

Alison Diver

Growing Communities Officer

Tel: (028) 93 358044

E-Mail:alison.diver@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Woollen Woods

Diamond Jubilee Wood, Whitehead will be transformed into a Woollen Wonderland!

Woollen Woods is UK wide project that began in 2013 and covers five regions on the UK mainland. Diamond Jubilee Wood is the first Woollen Wood in Northern Ireland!

Woollen Woods is an enchanting outdoor art installation featuring hundreds of woodland-themed woollen artworks which have been created by schools, knitting groups and individuals all over Northern Ireland. Their contributions include knitted fruit, flowers, insects and birds. We even have a yarn bombed bicycle!

This is a fantastic project which brings the arts and the environment together and the grand opening is on Saturday 16th May 2015. This will be marked with a free family fun day at Diamond Jubilee Wood with arts, crafts and environmental activities taking place from 1-5pm. Come along and see the woolly creations for yourself!

More information can be found here 

Allota work at the Allotments

It's Business in the Community 'be a saint day' with employees from Belfast Harbour & Spar helping out at the Women's Aid allotment plot at Eden Allotment Gardens this morning. They have built a fence, made raised beds plus removed weeds & mulched the plot. Alison Diver from Carrickfergus Borough Council was on hand to give support and training to the helpers.

Bentra Mini Golf Opens

The newly installed mini golf facility placed at Bentra golf course has been officially opened today, Friday 30th January 2015. The opening ceremony took place at 11.00am with the Carrickfergus Mayoress, Patricia Johnston, unveiling a commemorative plaque on behalf of the Mayor, Alderman Charles Johnston, to mark the official opening of the mini golf facility, joined by Council Members and funders along with Whitehead Primary School Year 7's who will be testing the course out.

The mini golf course, funded by GROW South Antrim, features 18 holes highlighting key points of interest from the Borough throughout, players must plot their way round the fun and exciting challenges of each hole.

Councillor Terry Clements, Chair of the Bentra sub-committee said “This mini golf facility is a great addition to the Bentra golf course and compliments the regeneration projects completed in Whitehead. This has been built and designed for all the family in mind; I would encourage families with children of all ages to come along to try out this new addition to the Borough for a fun day out.”

The course will be open Monday to Sunday from dawn to dusk.

Pricing for mini-golf:
Adult price £3.50
5 – 12’s price £2.00
Under 5’s price £1.00
Family Ticket £10.00
25% discounted rate for 10+ players.

For further information on the mini golf facility please contact Bentra Clubhouse on 028 9337 8996 or e-mail: mail@bentragolf.co.uk.

Carrickfergus Mill Ponds seeking Local Nature Reserve Status

Carrickfergus Borough Council is in the process of applying for ‘Local Nature Reserve’ status for the Amphitheatre Mill Ponds, Carrickfergus.

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are areas where nature and wildlife is protected and where people can visit and enjoy contact with the natural world. Sites protected with LNR status benefit both the local community and local species. A good LNR should make a contribution to conservation, environmental education, community involvement and enjoyment.

The Mill Ponds is 3 hectares of land which is rich in biodiversity including a large pond, wetlands area, mature trees, species rich hedgerows and grassland. This area is regularly used by casual users, walkers, naturalists and school groups for education and outdoor recreation.

The Mill Ponds form part of the rich and varied industrial heritage of Carrickfergus and the site also lies within a significant green corridor connecting the coast with Bashfordsland Wood/Oakfield Glen and the countryside beyond.

A wide range of important species of flora and fauna can be found on this site, for example, kingfisher (feeding along the river), snipe (roosting/feeding in marsh) and grey wagtail (a pair nesting at the stream outflow). In addition, the ponds contain a number of invertebrate species including the notable lake orb mussel which is red-listed in Ireland as Vulnerable.

Local Biodiversity Action Plan Launched

The Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) for Carrickfergus, Ballymena and Larne Council areas, which will form the new Mid and East Antrim District Council area was launched today and marks what will be a key landmark for biodiversity conservation in the region. The plan was presented by the Mayors of the three Council Boroughs and is considered an important step in furthering conservation of the rich biodiversity heritage that exists in the area. The document sets out how the biodiversity resource within the region can be protected and enhanced for the benefit of all and for future generations.  

The formation of a biodiversity plan has now increased importance, given the fact that the new Councils are taking on significant new responsibilities that impact on biodiversity including planning, urban regeneration and community development. Their role has recently been formalised in the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, which introduced a statutory duty for public bodies to further the conservation of biodiversity. 

 

Carrickfergus, Ballymena and Larne Borough Councils, which are merging to form a new Local Authority covering Mid and East Antrim, are committed to the protection and enhancement of biodiversity and the wider environment. This commitment is underpinned by the development of this Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP), and the document will raise awareness of special flora and fauna, provide a framework for local action and encourage wider involvement and partnership working.

 

Stressing the importance of partnerships Alderman Charles Johnston, Mayor of Carrickfergus, said : “This Local Biodiversity Action Plan covering Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne Council areas will enable all lead partners - including council, government and non-government agencies and community groups - to continue to work together to deliver biodiversity benefits throughout the future Mid and East Antrim area.’

 

Councillor Martin Wilson, Mayor of Larne Borough Council said : “We are delighted to launch this document as it sets out a framework to undertake practical conservation work, and to raise awareness of the wealth of wildlife and special places that exist in this region’.

 

Councillor Audrey Wales, Mayor of Ballymena, said the plan would stimulate increased involvement: “The new LBAP will provide an opportunity for organisations and communities to get involved in practical wildlife conservation.   There are a huge number of people within the area that are already doing great work on behalf of Biodiversity and through the strategy we hope to support even more projects on the ground and inspire more people to become involved in the future.”

 

Commenting on the new plan Councillor Billy Ashe stated “it is hoped that Mid and East Council will get an opportunity to formally adopt this new plan which can form a solid platform on which to take forward this important work”.

 

This production of the LBAP was supported by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

 

READ THE DOCUMENT HERE