Latest news with #JonathonHughes
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Enniscorthy Tidy Town celebrate over 30 years of community awards at 2025 launch
Chairman Jonathon Hughes said they are happy to have a way to return the support they have received over the years. 'The Enniscorthy Tidy Towns annual awards have been running for over 30 years. We found some old archive articles from as far back as 1994. The Tidy Towns competition is about much more than litter picking, the competition has eight categories which we are judged on. Adjudicators consider the appearance of shopfronts and streetscapes, residential streets and housing areas,' he explained. 'Well presented shopfronts, businesses and residential areas not only look visually appealing they add to the character and ambience of the town. Hanging baskets, pollinator friendly planting, well maintained gardens, colourful flower beds and well presented premises are considered.' 'Enniscorthy Tidy Towns wants to acknowledge and reward the hard work and dedication of members of the public and businesses that go the extra mile in displaying and maintaining their premises. In recent years, we have placed an added emphasis on premises that promote pollinator friendly initiatives and sustainability in the community. Last year, we handed out over 20 awards and we are hoping to see plenty of entries this year as the awards go from strength to strength,' he added. Application forms available in EMD offices, or by emailing enniscorthytt@ and the closing date for applications is Friday, August 29.
Irish Independent
19-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Frustration at increase in littering in Enniscorthy in lead-up to Tidy Towns competition
According to group Chairman Jonathon Hughes, members of the group have been greatly dismayed at the recent surge in illegal dumping and littering around the town – not only increasing their workload, but putting them in an unfavourable position before the upcoming judging assessment of the Supervalu Tidy Towns competition. 'We are seeing more and more households and businesses with overflowing bins. Some people are also dumping household waste beside bins.' "This is really disappointing to see and could be the difference between silver and gold in the Tidy Towns competition. If an adjudicator finds this – what impression does this show?' he asked. The Supervalu Tidy Towns competition is adjudicated by an independent panel during the months of June, July, and August. The secret assessments focus on litter control, tidiness, and the physical state of the area's environment. There are eight categories including; Community – Your Planning and Involvement, Streetscape and Public Places, Green Spaces and Landscaping, Nature and Biodiversity in your Locality, Sustainability-Doing more with less, Tidiness and Litter Control, Residential Streets and Housing Areas, Approach Roads, Streets and Lanes, with a total of 550 points possible. Once the winners are announced in September, all entrants will receive their assessment reports. Last year, Enniscorthy Tidy Towns celebrated a historic gold medal win in the competition and are keen to continue that success, while making the area more enjoyable for residents. The adjudicator previously praised the town's initiatives and commented on how they were pleased to find the area very clean and tidy on the date of the visit in their report. In fact, Enniscorthy had jumped significantly by 15 points to 371 points compared to 356 points 2023. "We are appealing to all households and businesses to keep their rubbish in the bin with lids secured and not overflowing. If you can see the black bag – then so can crows and seagulls!'
Irish Independent
02-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Enniscorthy spring clean sees huge reduction in rubbish thanks to deposit return scheme
Over 20 volunteers showed up in the early morning for what was called a 'huge success' by chairman Jonathon Hughes. Additionally, they noticed a big change in the amount of bottles being littered following the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme, which sees consumers return bottles in return for a deposit of money. "We collected 20 bags of rubbish and recycled 215 items. Last year saw over 500 items – a big reduction thanks to the Re-turn scheme,' he said. The official Facebook page for the Re-turn initiative were thrilled to see the results of the programme in action. "Hi Enniscorthy Tidy Towns, thank you for tagging us in your content! We truly appreciate it. It's fantastic to see such positivity surrounding the Deposit Return Scheme,' they wrote. Enniscorthy has seen great participation and success in the scheme since its inception in February 2024, with the Enniscorthy branch of ALDI being among the stores highlighted with the most engagement.
