A PUBLIC park in Co Antrim has been named the best in Northern Ireland by a charity which campaigns for accessible outdoor space for everyone.
Antrim Castle Gardens has been named the best park by the Fields in Trust charity after being shortlisted by a public vote.
The Castle Gardens had also been nominated for the best park in the UK, but was pipped to that award by Rouken Glen Park in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey John Scott said the Castle Gardens are "a real jewel in the crown of Antrim".
The award was made at a ceremony at Lords Cricket Ground in London, with Deputy Mayor Noreen McClelland receiving the award from former England footballer Graham Le Saux.
Helen Griffiths, the chief executive of Fields in Trust, said: the charity believed it was "time to revalue these green spaces and consider the positive impact they have on our physical, mental and social health and wellbeing and the savings to the public purse they represent in terms of preventative medicine".
The award comes as the Castle Gardens prepares to host its Enchanted Winter Garden for ten days from Thursday December 8, a free family event which attracted 17,000 visitors last year.
