Cloughmills community group wins £1,000 rural award for inclusive garden project

Housing Executive Staff and members of the Cloughmills Community Action Team, winners of the Cleaner and Greener Award sponsored by Northern Ireland Housing Council in the Housing Executive’s Rural Community Awards.

Included are (back row, left to right) Noleen Connolly Housing Executive District Manager, Clare Lawlor, Arts Care, Jim Whitten, Cloughmills Community Action Team, Marie Semple and Eoin McKinney Housing Executive Rural Unit. (Front row, left to right), Freda McKnight, Mandy McIlreavy, and Donna Baird. 

A community group in Cloughmills has been awarded a £1,000 prize after being recognised for transforming a shared garden space into an inclusive hub for learning, wellbeing and community connection.

Cloughmills Community Action Team, based in County Antrim, secured the top prize in the “Cleaner and Greener” category at this year’s Housing Executive Rural Community Awards, a recognition of its ongoing environmental work and grassroots volunteering efforts in the village.

The award shines a spotlight on the team’s fully accessible community garden and its flagship “Potty Potters – Growing Together” programme, which has become a shared space for residents of all ages and abilities.

Recognition for grassroots community work

A winning team – pictured are (left to right), Jim Whitten, Cloughmills Community Action Team, Aaron Skinner, Chair of Northern Ireland Housing Counciland volunteers from the Cloughmills Community Action Team.

Held this year at The Seamus Heaney Centre in Bellaghy, County Derry/Londonderry, the annual Rural Community Awards celebrate individuals and organisations delivering outstanding volunteering work in rural communities across Northern Ireland.

The event showcases projects that help maintain neighbourhoods, strengthen community ties and boost civic pride in towns and villages across the region.

For Cloughmills, the win marks recognition of a project that has steadily grown into an important local asset, bringing together people from different backgrounds through hands-on gardening and educational initiatives.

The £1,000 prize will now support the continuation of that work.

Inclusive garden praised for community impact

Congratulating Cloughmills Community Action Team on winning the Housing Executive’s Cleaner and Greener Rural Community Award sponsored by Northern Ireland Housing Council are, (back row, far left), Eoin McKinney, Housing Executive Rural Unit, (back row, far right), Noleen Connolly Housing Executive District Manager. Delighted winners include, (back row, middle), Jim Whitten, Cloughmills Community Action Team and (front row, left to right), Iris Walker and Patrica McQuillan.

Mark Alexander, the Housing Executive’s Causeway Area Manager, praised the group’s efforts and the impact the project has had on local residents, including Housing Executive tenants in rural areas.

He said:

“Well done to Cloughmills Community Action Team on winning in the ‘Cleaner and Greener’ award sponsored by Northern Ireland Housing Council.

“Their environmental projects are to be commended and have impacted so many including our rural tenants.

“For example, through their ‘Potty Potters – Growing Together’ programme the well-being, learning and community connection has blossomed in this special shared gardening space.

“Together, through a variety of creative gardening initiatives, everyone regardless of ability or background can participate grow and learn together.

“Congratulations to all involved.”

Jim Whitten, Cloughmills Community Action Team, accepting the award at the ceremony in Seamus Heaney Homeplace

The comments reflect the wider significance of the project beyond gardening alone, with the space now serving as a centre for social inclusion, education and therapeutic activity.

Safe and accessible space for all

Speaking after receiving the award, Philip Doran, Chair of Cloughmills Community Action Team, said the recognition was a proud moment for everyone involved.

Artists at work…Members of Cloughmills Community Action Team, winners of the Cleaner and Greener Award sponsored by Northern Ireland Housing Council in the Housing Executive’s Rural Community Awards, enjoy a hat making workshop.

He said:

“A heartfelt thank you to the Housing Executive for honouring our team in this way.

“We are dedicated to operating under a cleaner and greener ethos and the success of our environmental projects demonstrate this.

“A key initiative for us has been the ‘Potty Potters- Growing Together’ programme which created an inclusive, fully accessible gardening area featuring raised beds.

“Those enjoying our very special safe space include, wheelchair users, men and women of all ages, people with mobility issues, people with mental health issues, community service referrals, volunteers and school children.

“To witness the therapeutic benefits of gardening is extremely rewarding for the team and makes every bit of work that we put into the space worthwhile.

“Thanks to the Housing Executive’s support our garden will continue to grow as a sustainable community asset. Thank you to everyone who works so hard to keep it thriving.”

The group’s emphasis on accessibility has been central to the project’s success, with raised beds and thoughtful design allowing wheelchair users and those with mobility issues to take part fully.

Lasting impact for Cloughmills

A happy hat maker…Mandy McIlreavey, member of Cloughmills Community Action Team who won the Cleaner and Greener Award sponsored by Northern Ireland Housing Council in the Housing Executive’s Rural Community Awards, enjoys a creative workshop.

Beyond the immediate prize money, the award is a significant endorsement of community-led regeneration in rural County Antrim.

The project has created a space where residents can connect, learn new skills and benefit from the well-documented therapeutic value of gardening, while also strengthening community pride in Cloughmills.

For local people, the recognition places a positive spotlight on the village and underlines the value of volunteer-led initiatives in sustaining rural life.

With continued support from the Housing Executive, the garden is expected to remain a long-term community resource.

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At a glance

• Cloughmills Community Action Team has won £1,000 at the Housing Executive’s Rural Community Awards

• The group won the “Cleaner and Greener” category

• Awards ceremony held at The Seamus Heaney Centre, Bellaghy

• Prize recognises grassroots volunteering in rural Northern Ireland

• Team praised for its accessible community garden project

• “Potty Potters – Growing Together” supports wellbeing and learning

• Space is used by wheelchair users, volunteers, school children and people with mobility or mental health issues

• Prize money will help the garden continue as a sustainable community asset