Other News In Brief

Play Parks Open In Helen's Bay And Kircubbin

The newly renovated play parks in Helen's Bay and Kircubbin have been officially opened.

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Alistair Cathcart, opened the parks which add to the new ones launched earlier this year in Bangor, Ballygowan and Newtownards.

These parks represent a £650,000 investment by Ards and North Down Borough Council and feature brand new equipment, including more accessible options designed for children of all abilities to use.

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Alistair Cathcart, said: "These fantastic new and refurbished facilities will better serve the children in our Borough. It is so important that they have the opportunity to play in safe areas. This a very welcome investment and the Council will continue to invest in our play parks on a rolling basis. It was wonderful to see the kids having so much fun and I am sure they will continue to enjoy the play parks for many years to come."

Launch events for Kircubbin and Helen's Bay were held on Saturday 10 August with entertainment provided by Carnival Promotions at the new play park in The Green, Kircubbin, while Kids Bee Happy Sand Art and Tales from the Wild entertained the children at the newly refurbished Helen's Bay play park.

Power NI Supports 81 Sustainable Projects Across NI In 2023/24

Power NI has funded 81 projects in 2023/24 through the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP), supporting energy efficiency investments across various commercial sectors.

For the past 20 years, Power NI has secured funding for businesses in leisure, hospitality, offices, retail, and manufacturing, resulting in lifetime savings of over 70 GWh.

The NISEP scheme, funded through a Public Service Obligation (PSO) from electricity customers, provides grants for energy efficiency projects, with 80 per cent of the funds dedicated to supporting vulnerable customers.

If your business would benefit from installing energy saving technology, Power NI offers an opportunity to apply for 20 per cent funding through NISEP. The energy improvement grants under this scheme include: LED Lighting, LED Curing, Intelligent Heating Controls, Variable Speed Technology, Solar PV, Solar Thermal, Boiler Replacement, Voltage Optimisation, Induction Hobs, Infrared Heating, Heat Pumps, Heat Recovery, Steam or Heated Regeneration Dryers, Turbo Blowers and Sonic Leak Detection.

Janine O'Donnell, Energy Services Programme Manager at Power NI stated: "Power NI is delighted to have been able to help businesses across Northern Ireland reduce their energy consumption and their carbon footprint, through the NISEP Scheme.

"We have received lots of applications for the 2024/2025 scheme already and are looking forward to more businesses investing in energy saving technology and moving forward on their sustainability journey."

Seven Locations In Ards And North Down Earn Green Receive Awards

Seven locations in Ards and North Down have been presented with the Green Flag Award, including Cairn Wood and Clandeboye Cemetery which have received this prestigious recognition for the first time.

The Green Flag Award is an internationally recognised certification for excellence in environmental quality management for parks and open spaces. In addition to Cairn Wood and Clandeboye Cemetery, other recipients include Kiltonga Nature Reserve (Newtownards), Castle Park (Bangor), Ballymenoch Park (Holywood), Londonderry Park (Newtownards) and Linear Park (Bangor).

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Alistair Cathcart, said: "Winning seven Green Flag awards is the most that Ards and North Down has ever received. This is a fantastic achievement and is credit to the Council staff who work so hard in maintaining the high standards of our parks and open spaces, as well as many green-fingered volunteers throughout the Borough."

Parks and open spaces wishing to achieve Green Flag status must have a site management plan in place and be able to demonstrate that they comply with a range of strict criteria including horticultural standards, cleanliness, environmental management, biodiversity, community involvement and safety standards.

Each year, a panel of expert volunteers evaluates management plans and site conditions through a rigorous judging process for the awards. Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the environmental charity that oversees the scheme in Northern Ireland, announced that 105 Green Flag Awards were given out this year.