Parks and Open Spaces

Love Parks Week

Parks are important to us all so come and help celebrate the love for our green spaces through our MEA Love Parks Week programme, activities all week long.

Love Parks Week 2024

27 July - 4 August

Booking is essential.

Please complete booking form to secure your space.

Attendees are advised to check the weather in advance and wear suitable clothing and footwear.

In case of a bad weather warning, events may be cancelled, and participants will be contacted.

Saturday 27 July

Rock Pooling
Carnfunnock Country Park
11am

Want to discover the world of rock pooling?

Seek out crabs and critters from under the rocks and get close and personal with the marine life of the Antrim coast.

Please meet at the Visitor Centre before the event begins.

Price: £2.50 per child.

Wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

Booking is essential.

All children must be accompanied by an adult, suitable for 5+ years.

Contact Carnfunnock Country Park on T: 028 2826 2471.

Sunday 28 July

Summer Band Concert
Marine Gardens, Carrickfergus
3pm - 4pm

FREE EVENT

Sample the Sounds of Summer with Ballyduff Silver Band.

DIY Bird Boxes
Carnfunnock Country Park
11am & 2pm

Why not join Carnfunnock staff, to make your own DIY Bird Box to take home with you?

Price: £6 per home to cover materials.

Wear appropriate clothing.

Booking essential as places are limited, max 6 units.

All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Suitable for children 5+ years.

Contact Carnfunnock Country Park on T: 028 2826 2471.

Monday 29 July

Orienteering
People’s Park, Ballymena
11am - 1pm

FREE EVENT

Get active and improve your navigational skills.

Use the orienteering map to find your way around People’s Park: a true summer adventure!

Varying course lengths to suit all abilities.

Book online through our Eventbrite listing.

Biodiversity University
Diamond Jubilee Wood, Whitehead
10am - 12noon

FREE EVENT

Firecraft - Creating fire today is easy but what did we use before the match?

In this session we will learn how to site, build and light a successful campfire using flint and steel.

We will learn about kindling tinder and ignition as well as how to clear away our fire safely to leave no trace or impact to nature!

Book using our online Microsoft Application Form.

Tuesday 30 July

Biodiversity University
Diamond Jubilee Wood, Whitehead
10am to 12noon

FREE EVENT

Wild Art - Art and Nature are linked together.

On this session we will find and create our own art tools.

Then we will let our minds free to create masterpieces on either paper or crafting using the nature itself.

There is no limit only your imagination!

Book using our online Microsoft Application Form.

Art in the Park
Carnfunnock Country Park
11am

Why not join Carnfunnock staff, to create crafts in the park?

Price: £2.50 per child to cover materials.

Wear appropriate clothing.

Booking essential as places limited, max 15 units.

All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Suitable for children 5+ years.

Contact Carnfunnock Country Park on T: 028 2826 2471.

Wednesday 31 July

Biodiversity University
Diamond Jubilee Wood, Whitehead
10am to 12noon

FREE EVENT

Foraging - What can nature provide us for food, medicine or usefulness!

On our foraging session we will find, identify and use the plants and trees around us!

A good memory or a piece of paper to make notes is a good idea on this session!

You will be surprised how much food is around us!

Book using our online Microsoft Application Form.

Art in the Park
Shaftsbury Park, Carrickfergus
11am - 1pm

FREE EVENT

Come along and learn to draw the woodland canopy, in your own style. All materials will be provided by the artist.

This is suitable for adults and children, and don’t worry about your drawing skills – it’s about taking time out to learn about the beautiful trees in our local parks.

Bring your own camp chair or blanket to sit on, ground may be wet.

Toilets available in Marine Gardens.

Book online through our Eventbrite listing.

Bat Night
Diamond Jubilee Wood, Whitehead
8.30pm - 10.30pm

FREE EVENT

Go batty for bats!

Take a walk at dusk looking for these fascinating nocturnal mammals using torches and bat detectors.

Please bring your own torch if you have one.

Book online through our Eventbrite listing.

Orienteering Challenge
Bashfordsland Wood
11am - 1pm

FREE EVENT

Get active and improve your navigational skills.

Use the orienteering map to find your way around Bashfordsland Wood: a true summer adventure!

Varying course lengths to suit all abilities.

Book online through our Eventbrite listing.

Thursday 1 August

Biodiversity University
Diamond Jubilee Wood, Whitehead
10am - 12noon

FREE EVENT

Den Building - Could you survive in the wild?

Leave behind your warm house with the kitchen and cosy sofas and learn how to build a shelter and forage for food.

Find natural resources to protect you from the wind and rain and enjoy tasting a variety of plants found in your natural surroundings.

Try the special recipe of ‘herbal’ tea or make your own flavour!

Book using our online Microsoft Application Form.

Geology Tour
Larne Promenade
4pm - 6pm

FREE EVENT

Come along a walk to view 200 million years of Geology!

You will see the site of an ancient mega quake and the place where Larne’s own dinosaur was found.

Meet at the back of Larne Leisure Centre, at the start of Larne Promenade.

Book online through our Eventbrite listing.

Kid’s Experiments
Carnfunnock Country Park
2pm

Join in the fun with some slime and you might even get the chance to make volcanos with even more lava!

Price: £2 per child.

Booking is essential.

Maximum 10 children.

Suitable for children age 5+.

Wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Contact Carnfunnock Country Park on T: 028 2826 2471.

Friday 2 August

Biodiversity University
Diamond Jubilee Wood, Whitehead
10am - 12noon

FREE EVENT

Treemendous Trees.

How well do you know your plants?

Interactive tree ID and foraging our woodlands and hedgerows.

Learn about wildflowers and make your own fabric art through the ancient Japanese practice of ‘Hapa Zome’, meaning leaf dye.

Book using our online Microsoft Application Form.

Orienteering
Carnfunnock Country Park
11am - 1pm

FREE EVENT

Get active and improve your navigational skills.

Use the orienteering map to find your way around Carnfunnock: a true summer adventure!

Varying course lengths to suit all abilities.

Book online through our Eventbrite listing.

Seabirds and Sealife
Portmuck Harbour, Islandmagee
3pm - 5pm

FREE EVENT

Learn about our fascinating marine mammals and seabirds with expert Ian Enlander.

Please bring binoculars and spotting scope if you have them.

Book using our online Microsoft Application Form.

Saturday 3 August

Wild Survival Skills
ECOS
11am - 1pm

FREE EVENT

Could you survive in the Wild?

Join the staff from wild walk bush craft in the natural environment to learn skills to survive in the wild.

Suitable for the whole family.

Book online through our Eventbrite listing.

Rocket Making for Kids
Carnfunnock Country Park
11am & 2pm

Is it a plane? Is it a bird? No it’s your rocket!

Come along and build your own rocket before attempting launch!

Will it fly? How far will it go? How high will it go?

That’s all up to you!

Price: £2 per child.

Maximum 12 children per session.

Wear appropriate clothing and footwear as you may get a bit wet!

Booking is essential.

All children must be aged 5 and over and accompanied by an adult.

Contact Carnfunnock Country Park on T: 028 2826 2471.