Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council's (LCCC) Parks and Amenities team has been recognised at the Pro Landscaper Project Awards.

The team was recognised for the Lough Moss Carryduff Community Garden Project and Games Area in the 'Community Green Space' category.

LCCC'S team was able to reduce the project's carbon footprint by recycling materials, plants and topsoil on site.

Over 60 companies and organisations (including Local Authorities) from across the UK vied for recognition from a panel of judges representing professional industry bodies including the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the Society of Garden Designers (SGD).

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Councillor Thomas Beckett, Chair of LCCC's Communities and Wellbeing Committee said: "We are the first council from Northern Ireland to achieve this honour from the professional landscape industry. It serves to highlight what a dedicated, professional and capable team we have at LCCC and shows they have provided a top-class community green space to the residents of Lisburn and Castlereagh. The category entered was the 'community green space under £50,000', where the main focus was on designing a garden for a wide range of people to use and enjoy - but within a set budget."

Gareth Lennox, acting Head of Service for LCCC's Parks & Amenities said: "The judges noted our design was in keeping with accessibility regulations across the garden space and that it demonstrated a creative use of pathways.

"They also saw the garden catered for a wide range of intergenerational users to whom horticultural and biodiversity programmes could be delivered. Our sensory garden was also complimented and the judges recognised too that the 'gentrification, transformation and redevelopment' of the space had been to the highest standards, on a limited budget."