Lurgan Park Accolade

Cllr Ronnie Harkness, Chair of Leisure Services, the Mayor of Craigavon Alderman Stephen Moutray and Leanne McShane, Park Development Officer are pictured celebrating Lurgan Park being chosen by the public as one of the country's favourite parks. Lurgan Park ranks number five as one of the most cherished parks in the UK and is the only park in Northern Ireland to make it into the top ten. Tucked behind the market town of Lurgan, at over 200 acres Lurgan Park is the largest urban park in Northern Ireland and the second largest in Ireland after Phoenix Park, Dublin. Visitors can enjoy the 59 acre lake with boating, fishing as well as the top of the range sports facilities and of course the famous Coalbrookedale Fountain – only one of four remaining in the world. The award was open to more than 1,000 parks and green spaces across the UK and thousands voted for their favourite park or green space in The People's Choice Awards.

Water Gets Clean Bill Of Health

The NI Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy has welcomed the drinking water quality report published by the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Speaking after the publication of the report, Mr Murphy said: "The Drinking Water Inspectorate's report shows a continuing improvement in the overall quality of our drinking water. While the standard of public drinking water here is good and continues to get better as a result of the investment we have made, I recognise that we need to maintain this to keep standards high and make further improvements," he said, noting the report shows that this overall drinking water quality is good with compliance levels continuing to get better. The high levels reported in 2008 of 99.69% have further improved this reporting year with a new high level of compliance of 99.79% for all tests meeting the standard in 2009.

Kids Magazine Successful

An independent readership survey carried out by Millward Brown Ulster has found the newspaper-style Northern Ireland family magazine, ni4kids, now has 133,000 readers. "We're delighted to be recording such a high level of growth at a very challenging time for the media sector," Gary Hamilton, ni4kids' Managing Director. "The additional audience which ni4kids is bringing to the sector is a particularly positive development for advertisers at this time." He said the magazine - which is distributed free in schools, shopping centres and other family-focused venues - carries easy-to-use events listings and articles containing practical advice on the issues that matter to parents. See full story: Family Magazine Enjoys Boost

Farmer Fined Over water

A Co Down farmer was fined £250 plus £25 court costs at Newry Magistrates’ Court this week. Seamus McAteer, of Valley Road, Banbridge, was in court for making a polluting discharge to a waterway. On 19 February 2009, a Water Quality Inspector (WQI), acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (formerly the Environment and Heritage Service) inspected a waterway at the junction of Valley Road and Skeltons Cut, Banbridge and observed that it was discoloured, smelled of farm effluent and had thick growths of fungus which was coating the bed of the waterway. The source of the polluting discharge was traced to a farm owned by Mr McAteer. A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which was potentially harmful to fish life in the receiving waterway.

(BMcC/GK)