Congratulations Shiels Court! (Monday 1st November, 2010)

Sheils Court, Ballymoney has been congratulated by Environment Minister Edwin Poots MLA after winning a prestigious SuperValu Best Kept Housing Area Award.

The Minister was attending the presentation of the 2010 SuperValu Best Kept Town, Village and Housing Area Awards recently when he praised the winning communities for their commitment to environmental excellence.

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

In this year's SuperValu Best Kept Awards Sheils Court was selected as the Best Kept Sheltered Housing Area in Northern Ireland.

Minister Poots said; "I would like to congratulate all of the winners in this year's SuperValu Best Kept Town, Village and Housing Area Awards. It is clear to see how much work these local communities have put into maintaining and improving their shared spaces and what a difference this makes to residents and visitors."

The Minister added; "Community co-operation, of the kind needed to win a Best Kept Award, improves our immediate surroundings and can lead to health and well-being benefits for local people. A more attractive townscape also attracts visitors, providing an economic benefit and importantly, because so many of the winners have created spaces which are attractive to native plants and animals there are benefits for Northern Ireland's precious biodiversity."

Doreen Muskett MBE, President of NIAC commented; "It is evident that the community in Sheils Court has a great deal of civic pride. It is also clear that local people work together to achieve these great results and this community involvement is what being a Best Kept winner is all about."

It has been a successful year for the Garden Club at Shiels Court, as they previously won the Best Kept Garden Award by Oaklee Homes Group last December, the award today is well deserved to the Garden Club who put a lot of hard work and creativity into making the scheme the best kept sheltered scheme in Northern Ireland!