Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
The return of the Supervalu Tidy Towns Competition will be a huge boost to communities across Co. Roscommon.
Senator Aisling Dolan confirmed that 23 Tidy Town Groups in County Roscommon have now been awarded grants of up to €1,000 under the Tidy Towns Fund announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD.
The return of the Supervalu Tidy Towns Competition will be a huge boost to communities across Co. Roscommon, many of whom have kept up the great work throughout the pandemic to keep their neighbourhoods clean, despite the cancellation of the competition due to Covid.
23 Tidy Town Groups in Co. Roscommon from Strokestown & Ballyforan to Dysart & Moore have now been awarded grants of up to €1,000 under the Tidy Towns Fund announced by my colleague the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD.
Tidy Town volunteers do such stellar work planting and maintaining flower beds, plant boxes and now there is a focus on wildflowers and biodiversity, looking after our bees. Even within estates there are mini tidy up groups bringing children out to work in their own area to make it look well. Also these groups are working pro-actively with litter wardens in Roscommon County Council. It shows the pride in our towns and villages especially as we will have lots of people taking their holidays at home and meeting family in a safe way. And Tidy Towns volunteers really do so much to make us smile when we see places looking so well. If you would like to give a a few hours to your local area do get in touch with your local Tidy Towns group on facebook or check on tidytowns.ie
The 2021 competition will take place in the same format as previous years, with the overall winners due to be announced before the end of the year. However special arrangements have been put in place to allow the competition to go ahead safely, with a specific emphasis on electronic entry and remote adjudication of each town’s entry.
The health and safety of volunteers is a priority and groups should continue to adhere to public health guidelines as they have done so remarkably well since the onset of the Pandemic.
The organisers acknowledge that volunteers have not been able to deliver on all of the plans that they may have had for their towns, and the competition adjudicators will be mindful of this fact when assessing entries.
To reward the continued efforts of volunteers throughout the pandemic, Minister Humphreys has introduced a new award category aimed at groups that have continued to serve and look after their communities despite the difficulties posed by Covid-19.
You can check out TidyTowns.ie for all the information you need. Entry forms will be emailed to all registered groups and can also be obtained from the TidyTowns Unit in the Department of Rural and Community Development (Phone: 076 100 6912) or by emailing tidytowns@drcd.gov.ie
