Dromore is praised for community participation

DROMORE has been praised by Environment Minister Alex Attwood for the kind of community participation that shapes some of the most cared-for places in the province, this after being named among the winners in this year’s SuperValu Best Kept Town, Village and Housing Area Awards.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Nov 2012, 08:00 BST

NIAC and SuperValu announced the province’s Best Kept Towns, Villages and Housing Areas recently and Dromore was given the award for the Most Improved entry this year.

Banbridge was selected as the runner-up in the Best Kept Large Town category,

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The prestigious Best Kept Awards are organised annually by the Northern Ireland Amenity Council (NIAC) and sponsored by independent retail group SuperValu. Established in the 1950’s, they have commended thousands of towns, villages, housing areas, schools and healthcare facilities on their work to improve the environment.

Minister Attwood helped present the awards and praised the winning communities for their commitment to the environment. He said; “It clearly takes a lot of effort and hard work to win a SuperValu Best Kept Award and the communities in the winning towns, villages and housing areas have shown their obvious pride of place through their success at this year’s awards. All of the winners are to be congratulated on their team work in the pursuit of environmental excellence.”

Doreen Muskett MBE, Chairman of NIAC commented; “Banbridge and Dromore are deserving winners of a 2012 SuperValu Best Kept Award. In the winning areas residents work with local authorities, and businesses in some cases, to achieve these great results. This community co-operation is what being a Best Kept winner is all about.”

Ms Muskett continued; “The SuperValu Best Kept Awards were established almost sixty years ago, to encourage communities to enhance their surroundings, to protect our diverse natural heritage and make Northern Ireland a great place to be. We would like to congratulate all of this year’s winners for doing just that.”

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NIAC judges participating towns, villages and housing areas on their green activities, including planted areas, biodiversity projects and recycling schemes. The general tidiness and cleanliness of entries, including the absence of litter, fly-posting and graffiti is rated and community involvement scores highly in the judging process.

Winning towns and villages were presented with a personalised sign, a park bench made from recycled materials and a monetary donation towards their environmental endeavours. Winners of the Best Kept Housing Area Awards received a Best Kept sign.

Russell Miller, owner of the Dromore SuperValu store commented; “As a local SuperValu store at the heart of community life, we have always been proud to be involved in the Best Kept Awards, to help improve and preserve the natural and built environment for everyone. We would like to congratulate Dromore and Banbridge and all of the winners this year.”

The President’s Trophy was presented to Belfast City Council for the Titanic Memorial Garden at Belfast City Hall.

Information about the SuperValu Best Kept Awards can be obtained from NIAC on 028 9040 3681 or online at www.niacbestkept.com

Related topics:Dromore