Is Coleraine Ireland’s Best Kept Town?

The Co Antrim towns of Ballycastle and Broughshane, Holywood in Co Down, Coleraine and Loughgall in Co Armagh will compete for an Ireland’s Best Kept Town Award at a ceremony to be held in Belfast later this month.

The province’s five finalists were all successful in the North’s SuperValu Best Kept Awards last year, acknowledging their environmental work, including litter and graffiti control projects, planting schemes, floral displays and recycling initiatives.

They go forward with eight winning towns from the southern scheme, Tidy Towns, to take part in the Ireland’s Best Kept Town Awards, which is a collaboration between the Northern Ireland Amenity Council (NIAC) and the South’s Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Awards are sponsored by independent retail group SuperValu.

Five awards will be presented at the June 26 ceremony being held at Titanic Belfast – Ireland’s Best Kept Large Urban Centre, Large Town, Small Town, Village and the overall winner, which is chosen from the category winners.

Doreen Muskett MBE, Chairman of NIAC, which organises the SuperValu Best Kept Awards in Northern Ireland, said: “Our five towns have already impressed the judges in the Northern Ireland SuperValu Best Kept Awards, and it would be a great cause for celebration if they won titles in the all-Ireland competition. We were delighted when Cookstown and Coleraine won awards in 2011.”

“We wish Ballycastle, Coleraine and the other finalists the best of luck for the awards.”