Ó An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail
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This year’s SuperValu TidyTowns awards for the southeast region will be presented this evening, (Tuesday), at a prize-giving ceremony in the Springhill Court Hotel in Kilkenny.
SuperValu TidyTowns winners will be presented with their awards by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, TD, and Dolores Farrell, SuperValu Community and sponsorship brand manager, long-time sponsor of the competition. Also joining the minister on stage will be Eimear Whittle of Fáilte Ireland.
Speaking ahead of the event, Minister Ring said:
“These awards are just a small reward for the efforts of so many volunteers who take pride in their home town and work tirelessly to make it a better place now and for future generations.
“This unselfish effort and the generosity displayed by these volunteers makes a huge difference in our communities. It is fantastic to have the opportunity this evening to meet TidyTowns groups across this region.”
Speaking in relation to the recently announced grant scheme which will enable TidyTowns committees to apply for a grant of between €1,000 and €4,000, Minister Ring said:
“I am delighted to be in a position to announce €1.4 million in grant funding to assist committees in preparing for the 2019 competition.
“I ran a similar scheme last year and over 900 committees benefited from the funding. Generations of communities have volunteered with TidyTowns to make our country a place we can all be proud of.
“I have nothing but admiration for the volunteers here tonight and across the country and this grant scheme is recognition from the government of the huge contribution made by committees to their community.”
“We also recognise all the other TidyTowns groups not here today who are equally committed to improving their community year on year but have not achieved formal recognition in the competition this year, – well done to you all on the work you do and we hope to see you here with us next year.
“I want to also give a special mention to Kilkenny – congratulations on winning the Regional title – and also to all of today’s other prize winners.”
The minister also thanked TidyTowns’ main sponsor SuperValu.
“For 27 years SuperValu has been involved in this competition at local and national level and they have helped it to flourish and grow and continue to demonstrate a real commitment to supporting local communities. They have worked closely with department officials to help make it the success it is today.”
Dolores Farrell, SuperValu Community and sponsorship brand manager said:
“2018 marks the 60th anniversary of SuperValu TidyTowns, with close to 900 committees entering and 12 new committees getting involved for the first time this year.
“I would like to thank all of these new SuperValu TidyTowns committees for getting involved during the 60th year of the competition.
“It goes to show that SuperValu TidyTowns is a unique initiative, there is no other competition like it in the rest of Europe, thanks to the commitment of volunteers, committees and SuperValu retailers.
“The competition has had a huge benefit across Ireland for the past 60 years, and this year was no exception, with SuperValu TidyTowns committees building greenways, eradicating plastic straw use and delivering heritage projects, while bringing people from all ages and backgrounds together to build thriving, sustainable communities.
“We are delighted to have been involved in the TidyTowns competition for the past 27 years and look forward to continuing to work with communities in the coming years.”
Interest in the SuperValu TidyTowns competition has been stronger than ever in recent years with a record 883 communities entering the competition in 2018.
The competition has been running since 1958 and is organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development. The competition has been sponsored by SuperValu since 1992.
Kilkenny won the regional title and a full list of all of today’s prize winners is attached.
ENDS