Sustainable Experience Showcase Day Offers Unique Experiences at Reduced Rates with Live Here Love Here Grant

30th May 2022

An exciting Sustainable Experience Showcase day, offering six unique experiences at reduced rates, will take place on Saturday 18 June with a selection of activities available in stunning locations! 

Whether you choose to get on the water, get baking, take part in a walking tour or simply enjoy the very best of local food, the programme of bookable experiences will give residents and visitors a unique opportunity to sample Ards and North Down’s sustainable tourism experience offering. 

The Sustainable Experience Showcase has been made possible thanks to funding from Live Here Love Here’s Climate Challenge Fund, where schools, local councils, community and youth groups and businesses across Northern Ireland benefitted from grants to help put their climate knowledge into action. The Fund awarded £3,000 to Ards and North Down Borough Council’s AND Sustainable Giants: Green Tourism Network, helping to subsidise the cost. 

Funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund, the Climate Challenge Fund made £200,000 available for projects that introduced climate action into local communities. The grant money allocated will help reduce carbon emissions through innovative initiatives and maximise opportunities for community participation in local climate conversations and projects right across Northern Ireland. 

Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Head of Tourism, Sharon Mahaffy, said:  

“Ards and North Down is leading the way in sustainable tourism. We are aiming to tackle carbon emissions and improve the quality of our area so we are delighted to be able to use the Climate Change Fund award to run a ‘Sustainable Showcase’ on Saturday 18 June. 

“The experiences will be delivered by eight local tourism providers with green practices as the key focus, giving visitors and locals the opportunity to enjoy our region as well as gain a deeper understanding of how our tourism providers care for the local environment and how they continually work to offer sustainable tourism solutions in the Borough.” 

“It is a very exciting project that will attract additional visitors to Ards and North Down, and it is an opportunity for everyone to get close to nature in a responsible way, meet the experts; and spread the word about our passion for caring for the environment and our community.” 

AND Sustainable Giants: Green Tourism network was formed in 2021 and is made up of passionate tourism and hospitality businesses from across Ards and North Down. They share a desire to put green practices at the heart of their businesses, a deep connection to this beautiful region, and a drive to protect the environment for future generations to enjoy.  

The Climate Challenge Fund, which received applications in March and April, was open to any organisation in Northern Ireland interested in tackling the climate emergency. Funded projects were required to demonstrate innovative, creative or functional approaches to climate action, with successful applicants receiving in the region of £1,000 to £5,000 to meet the scale of the challenge. 

Ken Sharp, owner of the Salty Dog Hotel and Bistro as well as a member of the AND Sustainable Giants Network, said:  

“We really appreciate the support from Live Here Love Here. It allows us to work in partnership to showcase some of the great sustainability initiatives that are going on across Ards and North Down. The showcase on 18 June will give both locals and visitors a behind-the-scenes insight into sustainability and how they can take it into their everyday life.” 

Jemma Davies, Climate Clever Communities Programme Coordinator, said: 

“We are very pleased to support 42 different projects through Live Here Love Here’s Climate Challenge Fund. People from a variety of sectors have come forward to access the capital they need to put their carbon-cutting ideas into practice. In the end, we were hugely oversubscribed with applications and worked hard to stretch our budget across as many exciting proposals as we could. We encourage as many groups as possible to reach out to us if they want to ‘Live Here Love Here’.”  

For further information about the Climate Challenge Fund, visit liveherelovehere.org, or to book an exciting Sustainable Experience Showcase activity, go to visitardsandnorthdown.com/book-experiences. 

Photo caption: The Sustainable Showcase Day takes place on Saturday 18 June. Pictured at Bangor Marina are Adam Collins (Sup Hub NI), Sonia Keegan (Princetown Guesthouse), Matthew Anderson (Castle Espie Wetland Centre), Brigid Watson (Sustainable Journeys Ireland), Ken Sharp (Salty Dog Hotel & Bistro) and Lorraine Small (Helen's Bay Walled Garden). Photo: Graham Baalham-Curry.