MEA Outdoors

23/10/2026

🦇 A brilliant evening in Glenarm yesterday for our bat walk, with around 40 people joining us despite the cold!

Aidan shared some fascinating facts along the way, including that the world’s smallest bat is smaller than your fingernail, while the largest can have a wingspan of up to 2 metres. We also used bat detectors to pick up Daubenton’s bats, Leisler’s bats and soprano pipistrelles making the most of the insects before winter.

We walked through the forest, along the river and down to the seafront, where the Glenarm River meets the sea.

And just when we thought the evening couldn’t get any better… we spotted an otter! 🦦 Always a special sight, especially for those of us who’ve never seen one in the wild before! 💚

Thanks to everyone who came along and to Aidan for a great evening! 🌿

22/10/2026

Award-winning native oyster restoration!🏆🦪

We’re delighted that our pioneering work to restore the endangered European native oyster has won Biodiversity Initiative of the Year at the 2026 All-Ireland Sustainability Awards.

Since establishing Northern Ireland’s first native oyster nursery at Bangor Marina in 2022, our project has grown to support more than 3,000 oysters across a network of nurseries in Belfast Lough, Carrickfergus and Glenarm.

With millions of larvae produced, thousands more oysters being deployed into the sea, and more than 180 marine species recorded, we’re working to bring these remarkable shellfish back to our seas and help marine life thrive.

A huge thank you to our dedicated volunteers, partners, Belfast Harbour, Bangor Marina, and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and funders Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and Wilson Resources, who are helping make this work possible.

This award is a wonderful recognition of what we can achieve together for nature 💙

Read more 👉https://loom.ly/hBZmrEk

19/10/2026

👻 Nature has her Halloween decorations up at Ecos Hub

🍄‍🟫Meet the shaggy inkcap, also known as the lawyer’s wig 🍄

As they mature, their white, shaggy caps turn black and literally dissolve into an inky liquid! 🖤 This unusual process helps release their spores, and the ink was even used for writing in centuries past ✒️

Cool nature right on our doorstep. 🌿🍂

19/10/2026

Great to catch up Friends of Ecos today to chat future plans!

📍 Ecos HUB

We even planted some snowdrops while we were at it! 👍 🌱 🪏

To keep up to date with the group, or even better get involved, you can follow them on Facebook - Friends of ECOS Ballymena 💚

16/10/2026

Happy Friday from Glenarm 🌈

13/10/2026

🎨 THE TREES WE LOVE 💚

Last call! 🗣️

We’ve sent our ‘Trees We Love’ competition to primary schools across Mid and East Antrim!

We want to hear about the favourite trees of local primary school pupils — and, most importantly, why they’re special to them. 💚

Children can:

🎨 Draw or create artwork of their tree
📸 Take a photograph
✏️ Tell us why the tree is special to them

🏆 There’s a prize! One lucky class will win a tree-themed nature art session with local artist Janet Crymble, held at their school.

📅 Closing date: Friday 16th October

📧 Entries: [email protected]

Schools have been sent the full competition details, including how to enter.

13/10/2026

🎉The Live Here Love Here Community Awards are back!

Celebrate the people behind the progress with a Live Here Love Here Community Award nomination.

Let’s celebrate the volunteer groups across the country who are working hard to clean-up and green-up our communities.

Do you know a group that deserves to be celebrated? 🤗

Head to the link in comments below 🔗 to make your nomination.

As well as community champion for Mid and East Antrim, you can also nominate your group for...

🤩Bright Future Award - for newer community groups, showing exceptional potential and enthusiasm for environmental volunteering.

🤝Community Together Award – recognising a community group that promotes positive community relations through environmental action.

👏Lasting Contribution Award - honouring an established group, showing long-term commitment to its local area through sustained volunteer action.

Closing date: Sunday 25th Oct

If you would like support with a nomination you can contact MEAOutdoors at [email protected] 🌱

13/10/2026

13/10/2026

Just look at that growth in Harryville Community Garden 💚🌱

Planted by the Men’s Shed through our Men Who Grow programme with Scullery O'Tullagh and doing really well 👏

We love getting the updates 🙌

Harryville Mens Shed

06/10/2026