Balbriggan Tidy Towns In Full Swing
Monday, 26 July 2010 12:05 The Tidy Towns competition is a serious business as towns, villages and hamlets around the country spruce themselves up for the judges. In the seaside town of Balbriggan, the assault on the competition is in full swing with a hardcore group of 20 volunteers going around the town every Monday evening preparing for competition. Local TD, Trevor Sargent who was suited and booted, pitched in as he got his hands dirty. “Anything which empowers the community in their own area is important in it’s own right. The bonus is a national competition which gives recognition to the people who go out on a Monday night. It’s great for the town as it gives it positive coverage, showing the town is working together which helps with investment and pride and God knows, good news is rare enough these days.” The Tidy Towns takes care of certain issues, getting rid of graffiti and making the place look presentable. It also encourages wildlife and bio-diversity and as this is the UN year for bio-diversity attention will be paid by the judges” The Chairman of Balbriggan Tidy Towns, Joe Troy is enthusiastic and realistic “ We’re hopeful of an improvement, but we don’t expect to win anything, a bit of recognition would be nice. This year is a building block for the future, we are establishing a connection with the community and the council which we can build on. It’s a work in progress and we need to get a bit more from the County Council. We know they are cash strapped, but we need more from them. If we can establish our credibility then maybe they can be more helpful. Balbriggan Tidy Towns volunteers ready for action include, l-r Fran Butler, Joe Troy and Trevor Sargent TD. |
