Council Encourages Residents to Vote for their Local Eco–Volunteer Heroes

Newry, Mourne and Down is encouraging residents across the District to submit nominations for their local community Eco heroes, to win a Live Here Love Here Community Award. Residents can show their support by voting for those who contribute to making Northern Ireland a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable place to live, and by submitting their nominations before 14 February 2022.

The awards are open to individuals, schools and community groups that undertake volunteer activities to tackle litter, improve shared spaces and help reduce the impact of climate change.  Nominations are also open to businesses if they are registered through the ‘Adopt a Spot Programme’. You can nominate yourself, your group or others who you think are going above and beyond to make a difference.

There will be various categories to reflect the diverse range of work carried out by community volunteers including ‘Litter Hero,’ ‘Biodiversity Champion,’ the ‘Adopt a Spot’ Award sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, and an ‘Overall Spirit of Live Here Love Here’ Award sponsored by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.   

Newry, Mourne and Down District Chairperson, Councillor Cathy Mason said, “We would encourage people across Newry, Mourne and Down to support our dedicated litter pickers and other environmental heroes by submitting their nominations for the Live Here Live Here Community Awards event by 14th February 2022.

Cllr Mason continued, “We work closely with Live Here Love Here and are delighted to see how many of our constituents have engaged with their programmes. Their work plays a significant part in helping us to achieve our goal of improving our local environmental quality.”

Live Here Love Here’s Manager, Helen Tomb said, “We are looking forward to celebrating the dedication of community volunteers for their work all year round to improve the environment in Northern Ireland by tackling issues such as littering and biodiversity loss. The Live Here Love Here Community Awards event will give us an opportunity to celebrate these local heroes by recognising the difference that they make to the wellbeing and appearance of their communities.”

Winners will be announced during the Live Here Love Here Community Awards virtual event in March, which will showcase voluntary action from across Northern Ireland. Each volunteer or group will have supported their community in 2021 by instilling civic pride and tackling environmental issues such as litter, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The event will also celebrate the launch of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s Carbon Literacy for Community Leaders training. This accredited training programme will support communities to take action on climate change by learning more about the role of carbon in the climate emergency and the steps they can take to become part of the solution.

To submit your nomination for the Live Here Love Here Community Awards, visit: www.liveherelovehere.org/communityawards