MAYOR of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor John Boyle, has called on local people to nominate their environmental champions for the 2019 Live Here Love Here Community Awards.
The prestigious event, held at Belfast City Hall on 12th February 2019, is organised by charity Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.
It aims to celebrate and recognise the work of groups and individuals who instil pride in communities across Northern Ireland through environmental action such as clean ups, green ups and spruce ups.
“Throughout the City and District we have many unsung heroes who give up their time and energy to help keep our communities cleaner, greener and safer,” he said.
“This is an ideal opportunity to acknowledge that selfless work and encourage others to play an active role in creating a local environment we can all be proud of.
“Whether your nominee is a dedicated litter hero, a tourism booster or a neighbourhood champion, now is your chance to acknowledge them and say ‘thank you’.”
Live Here Love Here, along with the help of a dedicated team of volunteers, run a number of clean-up projects throughout the year.
The Big Spring Clean, Northern Ireland’s largest anti-litter campaign, was supported by 119,000 volunteers in 2018 and as a result, removed a massive 135 tonnes of litter across Northern Ireland.
Jodie-Ann McAneaney, Live Here Love Here Manager added: “Last year we received 170 nominations across Northern Ireland, with volunteers as young as 5 years old being celebrated.
“Given the amount of volunteers we had participating in our clean ups this year, we hope to see even more nominations for 2019.
“If you know anyone who is dedicated to keeping our environment healthy, it can be anything from reducing litter or dog fouling, improving the quality of their local environment or even creating a shared community space – then make sure you nominate them and give them the recognition they deserve.
“It’s truly heart-warming to see the huge effort being made across local communities to create and maintain a better place for everyone to live.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating our community heroes at the awards ceremony in February.
“The recognition is our way of thanking them, with their support we hope to encourage more people to get involved and Live Here Love Here.”
With 16 categories to apply for there is something for everyone. Entry is free and easy, simply download an application pack from www.liveherelovehere.org, fill out the nomination form and send it to [email protected] before 12 noon on 7th January 2019.
The awards will take place on Tuesday 12th February 2019 at Belfast City Hall, hosted by Lesser Spotted Journeys/Ulster presenter, Joe Mahon.
Live Here Love Here is an inspiring partnership between the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs; Choice Housing; Northern Ireland Housing Executive; Coca-Cola; McDonald’s and ten local councils, working alongside Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.
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