Co Antrim village awarded as ‘outstanding’ in their horticultural efforts

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Cllr William McCaughey, is delighted, he said: “With 118 towns and villages competing across the UK, this is a marvellous achievement and I would like to congratulate the Cullybackey Community Partnership (CCP) and Council’s Parks and Open Spaces team, who have been working together for several years to transform Cullybackey into the award winning village it now is.”

Margaret Murphy, Secretary of CCP, said: “Projects delivered throughout 2020 and 2021 included delivering food parcels, delivering GYO kits to residents, delivering GYO kits to pupils via Buick Memorial Primary and The Diamond Primary School, delivering a community knitting/crotched flower project, delivering health and wellbeing sessions via zoom and providing iPads to residents without the means to take part in these sessions. CCP volunteers also installed two new bronze horse sculptures and continued to carry out essential horticultural maintenance including weeding, watering and clean ups.”

Paul Christie, Chair of CCP, continued: “We are delighted to be recognized by RHS judges as ‘outstanding’ in our field. As well as this, CCP won the Green Flag Community Award for Shellinghill Park and Millennium Walk in both 2020 and 2021, and received the NIHE province wide Community Spirit Award in 2021. I would like to thank each and every one of the CCP volunteers for their dedication and efforts during a difficult few years, and I’d like to thank Council for their continued support.”