Council called on to honour Tidy Towns volunteers

A CALL is being made for a civic reception to be held in honour of the Ennis Tidy Towns committee following their “monumental achievement” in being named Ireland’s Tidiest Town.
Clare Fine Gael TD, Deputy Joe Carey, said, “This is a monumental achievement, and the hard-working volunteers deserve huge credit for their work this year and indeed over many, many years,” he added.
He believes that Clare County Council should mark the achievement by hosting a Civic Reception in recognition of the work of many volunteers, throughout the years.
“I am calling on Clare County Council to hold a civic reception for the volunteers who have selflessly given their time freely over the years.
“This news is a huge boost to Ennis and an example to all of us around Clare as to what can be achieved through hard work and persistence. Their success is even more impressive in light of the pandemic and the challenges that has brought,” Deputy Carey concluded.
Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe welcomed the announcement of the win saying, “This is a phenomenal achievement for the town of Ennis and for the Tidy Towns committee. I’m just thrilled for them.
“To beat off stiff competition from 846 other entrants is no mean feat but a quick walk-through Ennis will show you exactly how they achieved it.
“It’s a regular occurrence to drive through the town on any given day and see the team of volunteers bending over backwards to pick up litter in the hi-vis vests, sprucing up the flower beds and pots and so on.
“Not only did Ennis manage to take the top prize, the town was also named the country’s tidiest large urban centre in the smaller prizes, meaning a total of €15,000 in prize money is coming back to the Banner today.
“It’s been 16 years since Ennis last took home the title, so this achievement is all the more sweet!”
Paul Kelly, chairman of the Gum Litter Taskforce which provides funding for the winners of a number of categories, noted that Ennis Tidy Towns has worked very closely with the Environment section of Clare County Council to help raise awareness of gum litter in the last 24 months.
They also partnered with Ennis Coder Dojo who developed a series of online games, created by local children, part of which focused on games around litter picking and the impact of gum litter.
“The Tidy Towns competition acknowledges on a national stage the diligent and persistent efforts of local community-based groups in tackling the issue of litter in their localities.
“I am delighted to see Ennis Tidy Towns hard work rewarded with the Large Town and Urban Centre award and hope that their work will inspire others to get involved in anti-litter initiatives within their own communities going forward.”