Image via Phil Magowan / Press Eye

Northern Ireland’s award-winning beaches and marinas have been revealed at a ceremony at Belfast Harbour Office. Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, who manage the accreditations locally, announced 22 winning sites, spread across 5 council areas. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is home to more than half the winning sites – earning an impressive 12 awards in total. Other winning sites are spread across Ards and North Down, Newry Mourne and Down, Belfast and Mid Ulster council areas.

16 sites across Northern Ireland earned the iconic Blue Flag Award- one of the world’s most recognised awards for beaches and marinas. Winning sites met international standards in criteria such as safety, accessibility, cleanliness, environmental education and, for beaches, water quality.

Environmental education is a key element of the Blue Flag programme. Initiatives undertaken by this year’s winning sites included the launch of the Maritime Mile Discovery Trail at Belfast Harbour, in partnership with the Belfast Maritime Trust; a lizard adventure walk at Tyrella beach; and interactive Beach Schools NI workshops at Portrush East Strand.

A further 6 beaches received Seaside Awards, the UK’s mark of quality that ensures visitors are guaranteed to find a clean, safe, attractive, and well-managed coastal stretch.

Eric Randall, CEO of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful said:

“We are extremely pleased that 22 beaches and marinas are being recognised with either a Blue Flag or a Seaside Award. Northern Ireland can rightly be proud of the amazing beaches and marinas we have to enjoy. Our offering is world class, and the public can be assured of an excellent experience when they visit one of these sites.

As we recognise these areas, we need to take steps to protect them for future generations. All parts of government and society must proactively adopt approaches that reverse the devastating impact of the climate emergency and ensure that these areas thrive into the future.”

Speaking at the ceremony the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir MLA, took the opportunity to announce the expansion of the bathing water programme with the imminent formal identification of seven new bathing water sites.

Minister Muir said:

“I am once again delighted that Northern Ireland has been awarded sixteen Blue Flag and six Seaside winning sites. These iconic awards demonstrate the hard work of councils, volunteers and operators in meeting and maintaining international standards. The awards assure residents and visitors alike that they are guaranteed to find a clean, safe, attractive and well-managed beach or marina to enjoy.

My Department ‘identifies’ the bathing waters that are most popular with swimmers. These sites must achieve high standards of water quality and are regularly monitored during the bathing season which runs from 1 June to mid-September. The information is made public to ensure bathers can make informed choices as to when to swim. My Department also supplies this important information to Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful to be used in the assessment for the Awards that we are here to celebrate today.

Up until now, Northern Ireland has had twenty-six bathing waters. I am delighted to announce that I intend to add a further seven sites to the programme before this year’s bathing season. I hope that this demonstrates my commitment to improving water quality for the benefit of all and to working in partnership with KNIB and the wider Better Beaches Forum.”

Mayors from across councils, and beach and marina operators were invited to collect the awards.

Award-winning beaches will now have their respective flags in place for this year’s bathing season. In the event that water quality is not safe for members of the public to swim in the water, Blue Flags and Seaside Awards Flags are lowered until the water is safe to swim in.

Blue Flag Marinas, which are not designated bathing waters, fly their flags all year round.

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