Armed with shovels, brushes and wheelbarrows, members of the village's Community Action Team spent a Saturday morning at Princes Gardens and Cypress Park assisting homeowners clean up the streets in preparation for the judging process.

Led by Paddy Frew, the volunteers spent sometime lifting litter and while they have no idea when the judges will descend on the village, they hope their actions will spur locals to ensure their areas remain tidy and clean.

The Northern Ireland Amenities Council, sponsored by Super Valu, are organising the awards which are province wide.

It would be quite a fillip for Cloughmills if they win and Paddy and his team were delighted to see a representative of the Housing Executive, Maurice Millar, along to lend support as well as to assist in the clean-up.

Also present were Andy McCallion and Amanda Simpson from Trolans Super Valu who sponsored food for a barbecue held later in the day.
Paddy was grateful to all who had helped and hoped it would go some way to impressing the judges.