Westport announced as May ‘Sound Town’ winner
Westport has been announced as the Cadbury and Today FM May ‘Sound Town’ winner for its friendly and caring community spirit and for having residents who always support one another.
Previously named Best Place To Live in Ireland, Westport is renowned for its warm and friendly welcome and picturesque views, which is down to the hard work and efforts from local residents.
The Tidy Towns committee meet weekly to help ensure the town is litter-free for visitors and residents and they also continue to look after the rainbow of flowers in the town.
Sitting under the shadow of Croagh Patrick, which welcomed the Climb For Charlie event in April, Westport is also home to a well-maintained greenway which is open to all to walk, cycle and run, and community volunteers also host a parkrun every Saturday.
Illustrating the meaning of 'sound', the Westport St. Vincent de Paul committee has gone above and beyond over the last few years for local families, elderly and young people, supporting them when they needed it most.
On the Wild Atlantic Way, Westport has so much to offer young and old, with sports clubs to suit everyone. From golf, squash and horse-riding to award-winning soccer, Gaelic, rugby, camogie and hurling teams, volunteers give up their time every week and weekend to train these teams.
Local woman Annmarie Campion nominated Westport for the Cadbury and Today FM Sound Town competition and said Westport’s community spirit is down to the caring and generous people who make it such a wonderful place to live.
She explained: “Westport is a really friendly, kind and caring parish community, and the people are just outstanding. We have lost a few good people recently and the whole family community of Westport has stopped and come out in numbers to help carry these families through difficult times. I could go on with so much more examples, but these little nuggets give just some insights into the amazing people and things that are done in Westport.
“If a question is asked to any of our locals the usual answer is always 'that’s sound' – and I think our wonderful Westport is deserving of the Cadbury and Today FM Sound Town title! We are delighted to have won the May Sound Town award of 2022. It is a special moment for Westport to be recognised like this and we will be displaying our Sound Town plaque with a lot of pride.”
Congratulating Westport for being the May 2022 Sound Town winner, senior brand manager with Cadbury Ireland, Úna Morrison, commented: “On behalf of Cadbury, I’d like to congratulate Westport and its entire community for winning this month’s Sound Town title. These last few years have taught us all to be more caring but it’s clear to see that Westport has been working hard within its community for years to create a selfless and optimistic home for all.
“The Sound Town initiative with Today FM is all about shining a light on those communities and we’re thrilled for the community in Westport to get the recognition they deserve.”
Adding to this, Róisín Reilly, head of marketing with Today FM, said: “Sound Town is so much more than a campaign, it’s a partnership between Cadbury and Today FM that has helped discover and amplify a wealth of inspiring and feelgood stories from communities across Ireland.
“The lengths that people have gone to for their community, to help and support their neighbours in tough times, to bring a new lease of life to their surroundings, to put their best foot forward for the collective good is really quite something. We look forward to hearing more of these stories during this year’s Sound Town and wish all of our communities the very best of luck.”
Sound Town is a Cadbury and Today FM ‘Weekend Breakfast with Alison Curtis’ initiative and shines a light on what makes Irish towns so unique as well as celebrating towns, villages, cities and people who spread joy and community spirit. Monthly winners are selected and presented with an official Sound Town plaque to celebrate their community spirit. Each of the monthly winners will then be shortlisted for a chance to win €10,000 and take home the overall 2022 Sound Town title at the end of the year.
For further details on Today FM and Cadbury Ireland’s Sound Town initiative and how you can enter your city, village or town, tune into Weekend Breakfast with Alison Curtis every Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., or go to www.todayfm.com. Terms and conditions apply.