31 Tidy Towns groups in Kildare awarded funding

 

 The return of the Supervalu Tidy Towns Competition will be a huge boost to communities across Kildare according to  Fine Gael Kildare South TD and Minister of State Martin Heydon.

Minister Heydon said, “The return of the Supervalu Tidy Towns Competition will be a huge boost to communities across Kildare, many of whom have kept up the great work throughout the pandemic to keep their neighborhoods clean, despite the cancellation of the competition due to Covid-19.

“31 Tidy Town Groups in Kildare have now been awarded grants of up to €1,000 under the Tidy Towns Fund announced by my colleague the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD.

“The 2021 competition will take place in the same format as previous years, with the overall winners due to be announced before the end of the year. However special arrangements have been put in place to allow the competition to go ahead safely, with a specific emphasis on electronic entry and remote adjudication of each town’s entry.

“The health and safety of volunteers is a priority and groups should continue to adhere to public health guidelines as they have done so remarkably well since the onset of the Pandemic.

“The organisers acknowledge that volunteers have not been able to deliver on all of the plans that they may have had for their towns, and the competition adjudicators will be mindful of this fact when assessing entries.

“To reward the continued efforts of volunteers throughout the pandemic, Minister Humphreys has introduced a new award category aimed at groups that have continued to serve and look after their communities despite the difficulties posed by Covid-19.

“There is also a special new prize for young people, which were committed to under Our Rural Future – ­the Government’s ambitious new strategy for Rural Ireland.

“I encourage everyone who cares about their community in Kildare to get involved in the competition. This year’s closing date is Friday 2nd July 2021 with results expected to be announced in Q4 of this year.

“You can check out TidyTowns.ie for all the information you need. Entry forms will be emailed to all registered groups and can also be obtained from the Tidy Towns Unit in the Department of Rural and Community Development (Phone: 076 100 6912) or by emailing tidytowns@drcd.gov.ie ,” Minister Martin Heydon concluded.

Launching the 2021 Supervalu Tidy Towns Competition, Minister Humphreys said: “Missing out on the competition last year was very disappointing for everyone associated with Tidy Towns. That’s why I am delighted to announce that this iconic competition is back.

“As we look ahead to an outdoor summer and staycations, we want our local towns and villages right across the country to be attractive, welcoming places. The Trojan work carried out by our local Tidy Towns volunteers will be central to achieving that. My message is clear – Tidy Towns is back this year and it is bigger, better and more important than ever.

“I value the role my Department plays in this competition. I want to also commend the competition sponsor, SuperValu, for their continuing support and enthusiasm in raising awareness of the competition. Now in their 30th year of sponsorship, through their nationwide network of retailers, SuperValu have helped the competition to become the best known sustainable and environmental initiative in Ireland.

“Finally, I want to encourage all groups to continue to adhere to the public health advice and I wish all the volunteers the very best in this year’s competition.”

Notes for editors:

 2021 Competition

  • Full details of the competition are available on tidytowns.ie
  • Entry forms to the SuperValu Tidy Towns competition will be emailed to all registered groups
  • Entry forms can also be obtained from the Tidy Towns Unit in the Department of Rural and Community Development (Phone: 076 100 6912) or by visiting tidytowns.ie or www.supervalu.ie or by emailing tidytowns@drcd.gov.ie
  • The closing date for receipt of entries for this year’s competition is Friday 2nd July 2021.
  • Results of competition expected to be announced in Q4 2021

 

Tidy Towns figures

  • Competition first launched in 1958
  • Record number of entries in 2019 with 924 groups entering the competition
  • SuperValu have been sponsoring the competition for over 30 years