Tidy Towns groups, development associations, community groups and residents associations accross the county have been invited to compete in the Clare in Bloom Competition 2017.
The annual competition is a motivational mechanism for local groups to enhance the visual impact of their settlements by means of flower, tree and shrub planting.
Cash prizes for the purpose of furthering projects in the local community will be awarded to category winners at Clare County Council’s awards ceremony in October. Sponsorship is this year being provided by ESB Moneypoint and Roche Ireland, with matching funding from the council.
The award criteria for the competition include visual impact, range of planting, litter control and waste management, community involvement, energy initiatives and overall impression.
The competition is based on three population categories. Category 1 caters for towns and villages with a population in excess of 700, Category 2 is for population centres of between 300 and 700 people and Category 3 features villages with a population less than 300.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.