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Roadside verges transformed into sea of colour During the last number of months we have been working closely with the Department for Infrastructure, NILGA (Northern Ireland Local Government Association) and Ulster Wildlife to bring nature closer to our roads as part of Ulster in Bloom. As part of this campaign, we planted swathes of flowers and meadows on many of the roundabouts and roadside verges throughout the district. Flowers included orchids, begonias, brachy blue and petunia – all of which are ideal for our pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, to fertilize plants by moving pollen from one plant to another so they can produce fruits and seeds. We will be maintaining these sites throughout the year and will work closely with the Department for Infrastructure and Ulster Wildlife to bring more wildflowers and meadows to our roadsides in the future. FermanaghandOmagh inbloom Get involved in Bee-licious Would you like to find out more about amazing pollinators which play such a vital role in producing fruits and seeds in most plants? If so, we have organised a programme of events to help you identify and protect our pollinators as part of the Bee- licious campaign. Bee-licious is led by Biodiversity NI in partnership with a number of councils with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. For further information on biodiversity events and programmes, please contact our Biodiversity Officer on 0300 303 1777. Grange Park awarded Green Flag status Grange Park in Omagh has been awarded the prestigious Green Flag status for its excellence in standards and facilities. The Green Flag, awarded by the environmental charity, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, is an international benchmark standard for the management of parks and open spaces. Grange Park, which was extensively remodelled in 2013, boasts a children’s play park, outdoor gym, wildflower garden, nature trail, events space and bandstand. The award is testament to our commitment to ensuring that the public shared accessible spaces under our control are of the highest quality and are attractive and enjoyable places to spend time. Cllr Stephen McCann, Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and Kevin O’Gara, the Council’s Director of Environment & Place, pictured with representatives from Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and Heyn Environmental Solutions. 04 | Inform Winter 2017 Inform Winter 2017 | 05 Inbrief Search is on for Fermanagh & Omagh sporting stars Nominations for the Fermanagh & Omagh Sports Forum Sports Awards are now open. The Awards, which are organised by Fermanagh & Omagh Sports Forum on behalf of the Council, recognise and celebrate local athletes and teams, coaches and volunteers for outstanding sporting performance in 2017. Award categories include • Senior Sports Personality • Junior Sports Personality • Juvenile Sports Personality • Senior Sports team • Junior Sports team • Coach of the Year • Disability Sports Coach of the Year • Service to Sport Award • Outstanding Achievement Award Nomination forms are available to download from our website or are available at any of our four leisure centres or at our offices at The Grange, Omagh or the Townhall, Enniskillen. Award winners will be announced at a special awards presentation evening to be held at the Silverbirch Hotel, Omagh on Friday 23 February 2018. Closing date for nominations is 5pm, Friday 5 January 2018. Building positive relations through arts, sport, heritage &more! With £2.6 million secured to deliver a PEACE IV Local Action Plan across the district the Council, supported by the PEACE IV Partnership, is rolling out a programme of activity for people of all ages and backgrounds, to help promote positive relations. The Action Plan will support 15 programmes or initiatives across three key strands – Children and Young People, Shared Spaces and Services and Building Positive Relations - through a range of activities such as, arts and heritage, language support, horticulture, community development and sport. In addition, a number of small resource allocations will be available for communities to re-image or enhance an existing space to promote positive cross community interaction and create a visible legacy of the PEACE IV Programme. For further information on opportunities available please contact Deborah McCartan, Peace IV Programme Co-ordinator on 0300 303 1777 or by emailing deborah.mccartan@fermanaghomagh.com . This initiative is supported by the EU PEACE IV Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. For further information on the PEACE IV Programme please visit www.seupb.ie .