Mid Ulster towns and villages are a ‘sea of vibrant colours’

A huge amount of effort has been put in by Mid Ulster District Council’s ground team to grow, plant and ensure the tens of thousands of flowers are watered and looked after daily.

Some of the flower beds have been creatively laid out in beds at entrances to towns and villages to catch the eye of the general public.

Several readers have contacted us in recent weeks to compliment the Council’s staff on their hard work in making our town centres come alive in a sea of vibrant colours.

One of them, Lynn Fullerton, from Magherafelt, remarked that the flowers in and around the town are absolutely magnificent.

She said: “The flower beds, tubs and containers overflowing with vivid begonias, the huge heart at the end of Coolshinney Road, the very clever floral ‘litter’ picture on the Castledawson Road - congratulations to whoever came up with that idea - the colourful containers dripping off all the railings around the town and the hanging baskets decorating the lamp posts.

“No one can have been in the town recently and failed to notice this fabulous display!

“I guess what many people don’t know is that almost all these flowers (literally

tens of thousands of them) are grown and tended by only two people ...Roy and David (based in Polepatrick) and they

have their band of planters who design and plant

out the beds throughout the whole Magherafelt

area.

“An absolutely wonderful job - admired by so many people, but perhaps acknowledged by few. So on behalf of lots of local residents, a huge ‘thank you’ Roy, David and their whole team, for beautifying and brightening up our towns and villages...and in particular, Magherafelt.”

Local District Council Chair, Councillor Paul McLean, echoed these sentiments.

He said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to add my appreciation and thanks to that from members of the public to our grounds team for their continued commitment and contribution to a high performing service, especially given the operational challenges which presented themselves to Council this past 18 months.

“As human beings, we have a strong sensory and emotional connection with flower displays, whether at home, in our gardens, in our village flowerbeds or in our town centre hanging basket; one that helps to lift our spirits and contributes to a better quality of life for all ages. Even more so this year then, everyone’s hard work and dedication in enhancing and preserving their areas is to be recognised.”

--

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.