Ards and North Down Borough Council and NIEA - David Small, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Environment Agency; Michelle McIlveen, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs; Alex Irvine, Ards and North Down Borough Council; Nikki Ardill, Northern Ireland Environment Agency; Dr Ian Humphreys, Chief Executive, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful; Sophie Bachet Granados, Blue Flag International Director; John Early, Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

The International Blue Flag Awards have recognised ten of Northern Ireland’s beaches as “world class” for their facilities and water quality while strands at Ballywalter South, Groomsport and Millisle are among only 7 named as Northern Ireland Seaside Rural Award Beaches 2016!

The International Blue Flag Award Winners are Castlerock , Cranfield Bay, Crawfordsburn, Magilligan, Benone, Magilligan, Downhill, Murlough Beach Portrush West Portstewart Strand, Tyrella beach and Whiterocks.

The Blue Flag Award recognises beaches with the highest standards of facilities and water quality. This year Northern Ireland can boast of ten beaches and two marinas that have reached this benchmark.
Blue Flag beaches offer the highest standard of visitor facilities including toilets, lifeguards if necessary, first aid during peak hours and disabled access onto the beach. In order to promote an inclusive atmosphere for families with small children, activities such as windsurfing are zoned while dogs are not permitted within the Award area.
A further eleven beaches have received the Seaside Award, which recognises beaches with safe and clean bathing water as well as appropriate facilities for the number of visitors they receive in both resort and rural settings.
Both awards are predicated upon the bathing water quality at each beach over the past four years, with the requirements laid down by the revised EU Bathing Water Directive. This is the first year since the new stricter classifications were introduced and all 23 identified bathing waters in Northern Ireland have met the minimum standards, something still not achieved in England or Scotland.