Tidy Towns Success 2014!

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!

tidy towns May 2014 terns

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.

tidy towns May 2014 oyster cormorant

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.

flower display at the monument

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

 

Skerries Tidy Towns are Asking For Your Help

Maeve McGann of Skerries Tidy Towns writes:

tidy towns 3Now we are in judging season for the national Tidy Towns Competition. This begins every year on 1st June and continues until the end of August. We have no idea when the adjudicators will arrive, so we need to be prepared every day.

Please lend us your support during the coming months.

Now is the time to get the window boxes and hanging baskets out. Make sure you keep them watered.

Stephen from Wisteria is offering a deal which includes a watering service – check it out.

Some premises in the town could do with a touch of paint. Check yours out and see if there is anything you can do to improve the presentation of your business. Ensure that the windows are clean and free of posters.

A well-presented business encourages customers and certainly helps us to gain more marks in the competition.

If there are any weeds near your home or business, in the kerb or at the base of buildings, please remove them.

Grass verges in front of houses need to be neat and tidy.

No litter is acceptable to the adjudicators.

Let’s all work together to show what a great town we have to live, work and grow up in.

Contact details for Skerries Tidy Towns are on their page here.

You could, of course, also join one of the regular work parties which meet every Monday evening at the old fire station on Quay Street at 7 p.m. until further notice.

tidy towns 1 tidy towns 2

Tidy Towns Safari Trail launch: Sat April 26, Skerries Mills

Tidy Towns inform us:

Safari Trail. Launch of the Safari Trail at 12 midday in Skerries Mills on Saturday 26th April. All welcome. Launch will be by Frank Prendergast from BirdWatch and introduction by Sharon Eastwood from Woodrow Sustainable Solutions.

For more information on Skerries Tidy Towns, a committee of Skerries Community Association, go to the Tidy Towns Facebook Page