An award-winning park in Belfast has added 14 new trees to its outdoor space to mark the Northern Ireland Centenary.

A ceremony was held at Moat Park in Dundonald to plant the trees as part of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council's Northern Ireland Centenary Programme. Representatives from the South Eastern Trust were joined by Mayor Alderman Stephen Martin to mark the occasion.

Chairman of the Southern Eastern Trust, Jonathan Patton said: "I am delighted that staff and volunteers were invited to mark the planting of these new trees in Moat Park beside Ulster Hospital where many of our amazing staff work tirelessly for the local communities in Lisburn & Castlereagh.

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"It was great to spend time with the Mayor in Moat Park today and inform him how our staff frequently take walks into the park to find solace and a peaceful retreat from their hectic schedules.

"These trees are a welcome addition to Moat Park as we see them as both the Council's recognition of the NI Centenary and an acknowledgment of our healthcare staff and the vital part they play in our communities.

"Great outdoor spaces are essential for the local area to aid people's mental health and wellbeing and these new trees add further points of interest and magnificence to our award winning local park."

Mayor Martin added: "We are especially grateful to the whole South Eastern Trust team for their extraordinary dedication to delivering vital services for our community especially over the course of the pandemic.

"Having awarded our Freeman of the City status to the health service this is a fitting way to finish our journey across Lisburn & Castlereagh to visit the 100 Red Twigged Lime Centenary trees that have been planted across many of our parks."