The Causeway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty through a child's eye.

Thursday, Aug 6 2009

Primary school pupils capture the outstanding beauty of the Causeway Coast AONB.

June 2009 saw the launch of the Picture This! Schools Photography Project in the Causeway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).  Six primary schools from Coleraine and Moyle Borough Councils participated in the project which aiimed to raise awareness of the natural, cultural and built heritage of this outstanding area.  The project was hosted by the Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust following the similar, very successful project in the Antrim Coast & Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 2008 and more recently in the Binevenagh AONB.

The ‘Picture This! 20 years of the Causeway Coast AONB’ project was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of £17,400 and provided opportunities for the children to learn about the natural, cultural and built heritage of the area.

Children from Portrush PS, Bushmills PS, St Patrick’s and St Brigid’s PS, Dunseverick PS, Straidbilly PS and St Patrick’s PS, Portrush took part in workshops to learn about the unique heritage of the area and the criteria for achieving AONB status.  The pupils visited a range of local sites, including Portbradden, White Park Bay, Ballintoy Harbour and with help from biodiversity officers, recreation and tourism officers, and a professional photographer, took photographs under the theme of valuing the environment.  

Photographs were submitted as part of the ‘Picture This!’ schools competition and the prize winners were announced at an awards ceremony during the Annual Conference of the National Association of AONBs, which was staged in Northern Ireland for the first time in July at the University of Ulster, Coleraine.  The over all winner of the competition was Charlotte Rosborough, Portrush Primary School.  Runner up prizes were awarded to Joshua Kane, Bushmills Primary School, Jonathan Mc Intyre, Dunseverick Primary School and Jamie Duggan, St Patrick’s Primary School Portrush. Highly Commended prizes were awarded to Thomas Buick, Bushmills Primary School, Mark Mc Conaghie, Dunseverick Primary School, Lewis Dobbin, Portrush Primary School, Karri Galway, St Patrick’s Primary School Portrush, Niamh Doherty, St Patrick’s & St Brigid’s Primary School Ballycastle and Tristan Burke, Straidbilly Primary School. Awards were also presented for Trust Director’s Favourite to Claire Patton, Bushmills Primary School and Best Black & White Image to Charlotte Knox Bushmills Primary School.

The children’s images will be used in a variety of publications and promotional materials that will be available from Tourist Information Centres, schools and libraries throughout the region.  An exhibition of the photographs will also be produced to tour sites including Coleraine Museum, Ballycastle Museum, Causeway School Museum, Bushmills Education Resource Centre and NIEA Costal Zone Centre, Portrush.

Head of HLF Northern Ireland, Paul Mullan, said: “‘Picture This!’ is a fun and innovative project that will engage the children with the rich heritage of their area, from the diverse marine and plant life found in rock pools and on cliff tops, to historic monuments, buildings and local myths and legends.  The project provides an opportunity to stimulate a lifelong interest in the conservation and protection of the natural environment, and the images captured by the children will enable us all to take a fresh look at our amazing local landscapes”.

Commenting, Helen Noble, Trust Director of CCGHT, said: ‘Picture This! really does embody what Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are all about.    It's about engaging young people in their environment and instilling a real sense of belonging.  Watching the children enjoying their surroundings and capturing it for all to see really does bring home the need to look after these precious landscapes and raise awareness of the diverse heritage.  We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the designation of the Causeway Coast AONB this year and in only a few years time, it will be these children who will be the custodians of the AONB.  What better way to see the Causeway Coast AONB afresh than through the eyes of children?  It really does want to make you get out there to explore and have fun.