Maeve McGann from Skerries Tidy Town writes:

“We won the county award and a gold medal. We went up 7 points and are now only 4 points behind the overall winner, Kilkenny. This is the highest we have ever been in the competition.” Well done indeed!

The following is an extract from the 2014 report, which we have also posted in full on a separate page:

Skerries is a lovely coastal town that is a pleasure to visit. Its charms are numerous, but its buildings, coastal location and beach, harbour and high quality open spaces stand out.

The high level of participation of volunteers is a reflection of the pride that local people take in the town

It was a very great pleasure to revisit Skerries and experience its many delightful charms on a perfect summer’s day.

Over the past number of years, the projects of Skerries Tidy Towns have included:

• Commissioning sculptures of The Cormorant, Terns, Oyster Catchers and, in conjunction with Skerries Tourism, the Percy French seat
• To commemorate the centenary of the opening of the Carnegie Library in Skerries, they commissioned a three-faced clock for the library tower
• They erected three plaques to mark areas of local interest: “Walker’s Corner,” “The Bay Wall” and “The Ovens”

The very successful Adopt a Beach initiative by Skerries News – which got a well-deserved special mention in the adjudication report – and Adopt a Patch initiative by Skerries Tidy Towns ensure that the beaches and green spaces in the town are kept virtually litter free, thanks to the involvement of local residents.

Do find their Facebook page, and see what else they do!

Skerries Community Association would like to congratulate the Tidy Towns committee – also all those mentioned in it (we hope we didn’t miss anyone):

Skerries Tourism & Town Information Office, Skerries Mills, Skerries Adopt-A-Beach, Olive Skerries, Parachute Cafe-Skerries, Foróige Skerries, Fingal County Council, Fingal Leader Partnership, the Skerries Community Association – SCA (that’s us), Skerries Cycling Initiative, Sustainable Skerries, Skerries Guerrilla Gardeners, Skerries Reaching Out, Skerries Bookshop, Venezuela, The Shoe Horn ltd, EBS Skerries, Blooms, Rockabill Restaurant, Divino, Present Company, Nealons Pub, Gladstone Inn, Kelly’s Solicitors, @Red Island Wine, The Parlour Bar, Ritz, The Steakhouse, SuperValu, Skerries, The Church of Ireland, Bring Back The Pole , Sea Memorial Skerries, BirdWatch Ireland, Irish Seal Sanctuary, schools, youth groups, scouts

… and of course all the people living and working in Skerries.

The flower display at the monument – one of the many things the adjudicators liked!