Royal Hillsborough has been awarded ‘Best Kept Large Village’ for the third year running in the prestigious Northern Ireland ‘Best Kept Awards’.
The historic Village in Co. Down impressed judges with its continuous high levels of presentation underpinned by a dedicated team of volunteers devoted to its upkeep and appearance.
Over 100 representatives from towns and villages across Northern Ireland attended the award ceremony held in the Guildhall in Derry/Londonderry and presented by the Northern Ireland Amenity Council (NIAC).
Royal Hillsborough is no stranger to the award having scooped the ‘Best Kept Large Village’ category’ title twice previously in 2022 and 2023. The 2024 award makes it a hat trick of awards.
Councillor Jonathan Craig, Chair of Communities & Wellbeing, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, said: “It’s an honour to see Royal Hillsborough once again win this accolade. I would like to thank the huge team of volunteers that work alongside Lisburn Council’s own staff to keep the village looking so wonderful throughout the year.
“We are rightly very proud of this beautiful, historic village with its rich history. It sits at the heart of the Lisburn Castlereagh area - as well as the fact that it is the only town or village in Northern Ireland to have received Royal status.
“Royal Hillsborough is a beautiful spot, with picturesque streets, quaint shops, a wonderful forest park with breathtaking walks and its own digital sculpture trail. But don’t just take my word for it, come and pay us a visit! We’d be delighted to welcome visitors to our multi award-winning Royal Hillsborough.”
Now in their 67th year the Best Kept Awards were founded to encourage village residents to take pride in their communities. Towns and villages find equal benefit in building community spirit, as they do in improving the aesthetics and desirability of their villages.
Participants come from all corners of Northern Ireland. NIAC Chairman Doreen Muskett MBE, said: “The towns and villages thought the province are of an excellent standard and I am delighted to be here today to reward the many volunteers that have given their time so freely to enhance our surroundings. I also want to commend the local councils who work hard in keeping our Cities, Towns and Villages green and clean”
The awards ceremony featured several categories, including Best Kept City, Towns and Villages, Best Kept Housing Areas, and Best Kept Community Hero, among others. These categories recognised not only the aesthetic appeal of the nominated areas but also the efforts to promote sustainability, biodiversity, and community engagement.
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive was presented with The Presidents Trophy in recognition of their environmental commitment in housing beehives on the roof the NIHE building in Adelaide Street in Belfast.
Speaking at the event Joe Mahon, Patron of the Northern Ireland said “It is wonderful to see so many people coming together to serve their communities, giving up their time so freely to make our Cities, Town, Villages and Housing areas greener and cleaner, I congratulate all the winners here today”.