Mayo communities celebrating annual Tidy Towns results
Celebrations are underway in a number of Mayo communities following today's announcement of the annual SuperValu Tidy Towns Awards.
Westport picked up a prize of €1,000 after being named the tidiest Mayo town with a return of 351 marks.
There is joy in Ballina after it secured a bronze medal award and a prize of €400 after achieving 330 marks in its category.
Mulranny scored a double success.
The seaside village won €800 on being 'highly commended' and a further €400 when selected as a bronze medal winner in its category.
Mulranny recorded a score of 342 marks.
Belmullet was also named among the award winners, being 'commended' in the county category and sealing a prize of €500. The town registered a score of 341.
Castlebar is delighted to have won a gold medal in its category for the third time after increasing its marks to 340.
There were also impressive category performances for the towns of Cong and Ballinrobe.
A breakdown of all Mayo scores in each category are as follows:
Category A
Cong – 326
Kilkeeran – 313
Bonniconlon – 311
Clogher – 311
Kilmaine – 311
Carracastle – 246
Lecanvey – 230
Category B
Mulranny – 342
Belcarra – 321
Balla – 318
Ballycastle – 317
Louisburgh – 312
The Neale – 292
Ballindine – 279
Shrule – 258
Category C
Belmullet – 341
Kiltimagh – 315
Ballyhaunis – 304
Swinford –291
Category D
Ballinrobe – 305
Claremorris – 279
Category E
Westport – 351
Category F
Castlebar – 340
Ballina – 330.
Speaking after the awards ceremony, Minister Heather Humphreys congratulated the overall winners, Ennis, and all of the other deserving prize-winners announced today.
She stated: "It has not been easy for Tidy Towns groups during what has been an unprecedented period.
“Like all sections of society, the pandemic has prohibited us from participating in the things we enjoy within our own communities.
“I commend the hundreds of groups and thousands of volunteers who, in the face of adversity, put their community first and continued to make their areas better places to live and work and to visit, all the while, adhering to social distancing and public health guidelines.
“For that, on my own behalf and that of the government, I want to say Thank You.”
Minister Humphreys also announced a special allocation of €1.5 million in funding to support the work of individual Tidy Towns committees around the country to assist them in their continued efforts to enhance their towns and villages.
This is the fifth consecutive year that funding has been provided to support these committees and brings the total allocated since 2017 to €6.7 Million.
The minister said: “The sense of belonging and pride of place that is achieved by being part of a Tidy Towns group creates a wonderful welcoming atmosphere for both residents and visitors alike.
“Given the challenges faced by Tidy Towns groups during the pandemic and the way in which they moved to an online entry process, I am delighted to be able to announce that I have secured funding of €1.5 million to directly support the Tidy Towns committees who, through their efforts, bring out the best in their towns and villages.
“In total, 1,022 Tidy Towns groups across the country will be eligible to benefit from this investment.”
The minister also thanked SuperValu, the competition’s sponsor, adding: "I congratulate SuperValu who celebrate their 30th anniversary of partnership with Tidy Towns and sponsorship of the competition. The competition continues to attract new entrants and new awards and it is getting stronger every year.
SuperValu continue to show fantastic support for the competition through their financial sponsorship, their commitment to improving and growing the competition and through the dedicated support at a local level provided to Tidy Towns groups by their network of local retailers.”
Mr. Ian Allen, managing director, SuperValu, said: "The outstanding efforts and achievements of the category winners, and indeed all of our committees across the country deserves significant praise and recognition.
"This year was another landmark for SuperValu Tidy Towns. We now have a record 1,022 groups engaging in the competition, with a record 847 entries this year.
"I’d particularly like to mention the new committees and encourage their participation into the future. The level and quality of the projects that you all delivered across all categories is astounding."