Improvement of facilities at Hillhead Fishery.
John Jamieson lives on a farm in Ballymena and a few years ago he decided to start a farm diversification project in the shape of a 'put and take' fishing lake. John applied for and received full planning approval for the construction of a 2.5 acre lake with a maximum depth of ten feet. It was constructed in 2009 and was then left to settle for a year. The lake is now stocked with rainbow trout which can be caught and released unless the customer wishes to take their catch home with them, and if so they are charged a fee per fish caught up to a maximum of three fish.
John wanted to improve the aesthetic appeal and attraction of the lake to anglers and so applied to North East Region under Axis 3 for grant assistance with this element of his project. The improvements included pathways around the lake, angling stands for disabled anglers, a small kiosk for the hire of equipment, and also picnic tables and bbq areas to make the lake more welcoming for families. In addition, John also wanted to establish a website in order to promote the facility.
Items funded: