Limerick Communities Show Pride Of Place At Tidy Towns Event

The launch formed part of a Limerick County Council/Shannon Development-hosted workshop, entitled ‘Working to Win - Supporting Tidy Towns in County Limerick’, at which the ‘2008 Tidy Towns Competition’ was also launched.

This week’s event also featured presentations from some of Ireland’s best-known wildlife and environmental experts, including Mr. Eamonn de Staffort, National Tidy Towns Adjudicator & International Adjudicator of Entente Florale.

Mr Staffort urged those in attendance to participate in the 50th annual Tidy Towns Competition. He explained that this year’s competition would feature a commemorative stamp, commemorative publication focusing on the winning towns over the past half century, new website, St. Patrick’s Day Parade and an awards ceremony to be broadcast on RTE.

National Environment Personality, Ms. Eanna Ní Lamhna provided those in attendance with an entertaining presentation on ‘Tidy Towns – Part of a vibrant natural environment’.

She said that towns and villages were living places, not only for people, but for wildlife as well.

"It is important that we do everything possible to maintain wildlife habitats in our town parks, school grounds, front and back gardens, graveyards, rivers and canals, hedges and roundabouts, as well as window boxes and hanging baskets. Once the areas where wildlife can live are identified then the challenge is to manage them so that conditions are improved, in other words to increase biodiversity", stated Ms. Ní Lamhna.

Meanwhile, the Horticulture Section of Limerick County Council marked the upcoming National Tree Week 2008 by providing those attending the workshop with sapling trees. The local authority’s Heritage Officer also distributed numerous publications, including a Teagasc booklet on ‘Routine Trimming of Hedgerows’ and The Heritage Council’s ‘Conserving and Enhancing Wildlife in Towns and Villages’.

Elsewhere, the Environment Directorate of Limerick County Council hosted an information stand from where it distributed several information leaflets on the prevention of litter, including "Composting Is Easy’, "WEEE"– the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment’, ‘Prevention of Landfill’ and ‘Waste Watchers – A guide to slimming your bin’.

Addressing the workshop at Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel in Adare, Cllr. Kevin Sheahan, Cathaoirleach of Limerick County Council, stated, "The aim of the ‘Limerick in Bloom Competition’ and ‘Priming Grant Scheme’ is to further enhance the appearance of towns and villages throughout the county. They will also help the local authority to develop and strengthen the concept of promoting community involvement in environmental initiatives."

He added, "The success of these new schemes is largely dependant on the participation of community groups and associations. The attendance of over one hundred representatives of such organisations at the launch of these initiatives is very encouraging and is indicative of the high regard the people of Limerick have for the environment around them."

Limerick County Council has described the newly developed ‘Limerick in Bloom Competition’ as a motivational mechanism for the many small local based groups throughout the county to enhance the visual impact of their settlements by means of flower, tree and shrub planting.

Judging, which takes place from mid-July to mid-August, considers such factors as colour, size, variety, location and appropriateness of the various planting schemes along with the management of litter. Categories are based on population size with a first, second and third prize in each category of EUR1100, EUR550 EUR300 respectively

The purpose of the ‘Priming Grant Scheme’ is to allow Limerick County Council to contribute financially to local groups that carry out environmental work. Grant aid of up to a maximum of EUR500 must be used for the purpose of purchasing trees, shrubs, brushes, shovels, street furniture and other incidental items that are required to carry out the maintenance and improvement works.

The closing date for receipt of applications for both schemes is 4pm on Friday, 30th May 2008. Further information is available from the Community and Enterprise section of Limerick County Council on 061-496454.

-ENDS-

NOTE TO EDITOR:
Further information is available from Mark Dunphy of Dunphy Public Relations on 086-8534900 or media@dunphypr.com

Mark Dunphy
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