Antrim Castle Gardens Team scooped the Best Service Team prize at the prestigious APSE awards ceremony which took place in the Kings Centre Oxford last night.

The awards were presented by Louisa Preston, broadcast journalist for BBC London and BBC Breakfast. No stranger to these awards The Antrim Castle Gardens Team were finalists in the same category in 2016.

Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) is a not for profit local government body, working with over 300 councils throughout the UK promoting excellence in public service. This year’s awards attracted over 300 submissions from over 100 organisations across the UK.

Deputy Mayor, Councillor Vera McWilliam who attended last night’s awards commented” We are delighted to receive this award after being piped at the post last year. The team have turned Antrim Castle Gardens from a Local Gem to a National Treasure” Head of Arts & Culture, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Ursula Fay added “I am over the moon for the team who work tirelessly to maintain the Majestic Antrim Castle Gardens, we faced tough competition and were up against six other UK Councils. I am thrilled that all the hard work has paid off”.

Antrim Castles Gardens is a unique setting which has over 500,000 visitors a year. The Gardens are also the venue for high status events such as Garden Show Ireland, Ulster Pipe Band Championships and Enchanted Winter Gardens.

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