Fermanagh District Council Director of Technical Services, Gerry Knox has helped launch a colourful book about the history of the Best Kept Awards over the past 50 years. It is being published by organisers the Northern Ireland Amenity Council.

With Fermanagh regularly scooping many of the Best Kept titles, the county is sure to feature in the book.

'Proud to be Best – 50 Years of Best Kept Awards' tells the story of the prestigious awards scheme that acknowledges towns, housing areas, healthcare facilities and schools for their commitment to the natural and built environment since its inception in 1957.

The Best Kept Awards, the book explains, were born out of the government sponsored, 'Digging for Victory' campaign that was introduced during the Second World War to encourage householders to make the most of their gardens by growing food which would supplement meagre diets at a time of shortages and rations.

In the opening chapter, the book talks about the old black and white footage of tractors on the lawns of Stormont, ploughing the immaculate grass to make way for food production.

The President of the Northern Ireland Amenity Council Doreen Muskett, MBE, suggested that, while the book describes the milestone that the 50th anniversary of the Best Kept Awards scheme represents, 'it is only a milestone, I hope, on a long path to an increasing awareness of how important our environment is, and how the Best Kept Awards can contribute to that awareness'. The book tracks the development of the Best Kept scheme through an abundance of photographs and details of past winners, including Eglinton in County Derry, which was the first Best Kept Village. The importance of local 'improvement committees' is also highlighted.