Latest news with #TidyTowns
Irish Independent
15 hours ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Around the Districts: Around the Districts: Ardcath/Clonalvy, Curraha, Gormanston and Julianstown
Contact Any news or items of interest contact Niamh at 086 3477283 or email niamhuiloinsigh@ Ardcath Tidy Towns If anyone would like to be involved with Ardcath Tidy Towns, please WhatsApp 087 8354805 to be added to the Tidy Towns WhatsApp Group. Michael Fox Ardcath Tidy Towns Committee. Ardcath ICA Social Dancing continues every Monday evening in Bennetts Function Room at 7pm. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. Ardcath Guild Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm in Bennetts Function Room Ardcath– St. Mary's Church Ardcath Special Thanks: Fr. Steve warmly thanks all who shared birthday wishes and heartfelt gestures. From secondary school days at 11, through philosophy and theology at 22, his first parish journey as parish priest at 33, to starting his mission in Ireland at 44: each chapter has been a step of grace, growth, and service. Your thoughtful gestures shine a light on his journey and bring warmth to his heart. Míle buíochas. Scorching temperatures ahead? Take a moment to check in on elderly or housebound neighbours: they might appreciate a helping hand with groceries, watering their plants, or simply someone to talk to. A small visit can mean the world in this heat. Summer in the Parish: As the season brings holidays and sunny distractions, heartfelt thanks go out to those who faithfully keep parish life running smoothly. From our Sacristans, Secretary, Readers and Ministers of Holy Communion, to the Collectors, and those who diligently count the weekly Offertory and Envelopes. A special nod to the Altar Society, Organists, Cantors, Altar servers and all the quiet heroes behind the scenes. Your commitment makes all the difference. First Friday Visits to the Sick, and Housebound: The First Friday Visits take place on the First Fridays of the Month and are an opportunity for those who are unable to leave their homes to receive Confession, Holy Communion and the Sacrament of the Sick. If you wish to be included in the pastoral visits, please contact the Parish Office on 018350136 or Fr. Steve on 087-3379031 St. Vincent's GFC Lotto – 21st July, 2025 Numbers drawn were 15-20-30. Monthly Draw Winners Eamon Waters and Patrick McGill. Jackpot €1,250. No winner. Make sure you play your favourite numbers. Windfall draw takes place on Monday night @ 9.00pm. Play before 6pm Monday at Text Alert Duleek & District Community Text Alert covering Duleek, Bellewstown, Ardcath/Clonalvy, Donore, Beamore, Rathfeigh, Stamullen, Gormanston, Julianstown subscription of €6 can now be paid for free by Revolut. Please send your name & address along with payment to 086 8097737. If you're not already registered with Text Alert, please consider doing so. Curraha Contact Curraha GAA Our Under 15s finished off the 7 aside tournament in St Mary's on Friday evening. Lovely few weeks of football, followed by a lovely evening of pizza and treats. Thanks to St Mary's for organising and hosting us every Monday for the past 4 weeks. Great to see all the girls out playing football. Everyone had a great time. Special thanks to Gillian in St Mary's for the warm welcome and wonderful organisation! Well done to all involved. Club Lotto Envelopes are available in Swans, The Becks and The Snail Box. Please note the deadline for online entries is 6pm Monday. Entries are available here– Curraha Tidy Towns Calling everyone to come out the 1st Saturday of each month to clean up your area. Bags can be provided if required ring Deirdre on 0868868917 or Marcella on 0876744691. Please drop the full bags back to the Church carpark for collection by the County Council. Let's be proud of our village. Cemetery Devotions Ardcath: Sunday 14th Sept. 1:30pm Support School Lotto Go to Gormanston Monthly beach & road cleanup We have our monthly beach & road cleanup on Saturday 2nd August starting at 10.30 in the small car park near the Huntsman pub. Cleanup bags, gloves and equipment supplied. All welcome. It's also a reminder for all Tidy Towns supporters to do their little bit to enhance the environment of Gormanston in whatever way they can. Car Break-in A car was broken into in the Gormanston area last week. We would just like to remind everyone to lock up, stay vigilant and stay safe. Julianstown Contact Any news or items of interest contact Niamh at 086 3477283 or email niamhuiloinsigh@ Julianstown Tidy Towns Clean up in Village: Many thanks to our Volunteers for all the work they are carrying out in the village each Saturday. Work is continuing on the beds in the Community Garden at 10.30 am on Saturdays. All equipment needed will be supplied such as gloves, high vis, tools etc., just wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Enjoy a cuppa and a chat afterwards. Community Garden: Many of our volunteers spent Saturday removing the weeds from the pathways, but it was during the week that things really got moving in the garden. Bob, Kevin, Gerard, Omar and Paul started removing hedging, trees, raised beds, plants so that the digger etc can access the garden. All this work needs to be done before mid-August so that we can get a base built for the Gazebo. If you happen to be free any Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday mornings we could use a bit of extra help. Feel free to drop in anytime and see the work as it progresses. We will be erecting an outdoor Gazebo for teenagers in the garden mid-August, and we hope that when the call goes out for some helping hands to get the ground ready and move some plants that residents and teenagers will come along to help. We need to then put in a cement base for the Gazebo and also for some outdoor games tables which should be a fantastic outdoor play area for teenagers. Maybe some of our local teenagers would give a hand during their summer holidays – games will be table tennis, table top football, outdoor games table and a basketball practice area. Sincere Sympathy Condolences and sincere sympathy to the family and friends of Patrick McEnaney, Briarleas, Julianstown after a short illness, surrounded by his loving family. Predeceased by his beloved wife Clare. Loving dad to Shane, Lorna, Elizabeth and Fiachra. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. Footpaths A new footpath linking Mosney Village to the crossroads at the main Julianstown Road is on the way. We are delighted to hear this and thank Cllr. Sharon Tolan for her request for the introduced at the latest meeting of the Laytown/Bettystown MD . This is urgently needed as there are many residents in Mosney Accommodation and, indeed, local residents using this very unsafe road. The estimate for commencement of this Part 8 process is early 2026. We have on numerous occasions asked the council to install a Bus Shelter at this crossroads as there are many people using the bus service and it is dreadful to think that in this day and age that they must wait in the pouring rain. The Julianstown & District Residents are also requesting that Councillors have a look at the lack of footpaths in Julianstown Village and perhaps they should approve continuous footpaths on either side of the road, especially given that we have Whitecross National School struck right in the middle of the R132. There are two pedestrian crossings in the village, and they are one kilometre apart and now that the schools are closed for their summer holidays it is a free for all vehicles going through Julianstown. Traffic calming for Julianstown is still a long off thanks in the main to Uisce Éireann and yet the council has not installed the speed ramps, which would go a long way to slowing down the speeding traffic. If there are any matters you would like raised concerning the village, please email us at julianstowndca@ or you can contact any member of our committee. Active Retirement Association East Meath Active Retirement Association (EMARA) meet every Thursday in St. Mary's Church of Ireland Parish Rooms, Laytown Road, Julianstown from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm each week. New members are always welcome to join this vibrant group of men and women. We have many events and outings lined up for the coming month. For more details contact Rose at 0868377033 and Eilish at 0863656951 . Adult Dance Classes Adult Dance Classes with Rachel Smyth will be held each Tuesday in the Julianstown Community Centre from 10 am to 11 am. Admission is €60 for a six-week term or €12 per drop-in class. Book now on 087 9420307 Julianstown Bowls Club Julianstown Bowls Club is recruiting new members. Why not come along to experience the game of bowls and have a very enjoyable evening, on Monday or Thursday from 8 to 10 pm in Julianstown Community Hall. Contact Sean on 086-8438803 or Marie 086-1525413. St Mary's Church of Ireland All Sunday services 10.30 am. 27th July: Morning Prayer, On Sunday 31st August the Back-to-School Service will take place. This now annual event marks the start of the new school year for children and young people, teachers, other people involved in education and parents. Children are encouraged to come along with their school bags and to receive a blessing. Charity Collections: The Collection during July will be for The Mission to Seafarers. Confirmation: The Bishop has given us a date for confirmation as the 19th of April 2026. Anyone from 5th Class upwards is welcome to come. The Confirmation Classes will take place on Sunday 4th January – candidates will be asked to come to church at 10.30 and to remain afterwards until 1pm for a class and to return on Monday 5th January from 7–8.30pm. Summer work parties: take place in the church grounds from around 7 pm every Tuesday evening and great work has been achieved around the church grounds. If you are free, on any summer Tuesday evening when the weather is fine, please come along. St Mary's and St. Patrick's Church Baptism Preparation: Our next preparation meeting takes place this Tuesday, 2nd September. If you wish to register your child for Baptism please contact our parish office. Flowers in our Churches: We sincerely appreciate those who care for the church flowers. Their dedication in checking, refreshing, and renewing them weekly brings beauty and warmth to our sacred space. Their efforts enhance our worship environment, and their commitment is truly commendable. Thank you for making our church more welcoming and vibrant! Supporting our Parish: We continue to receive donations towards the Projects which have been undertaken in our Parish, and we are very grateful to you all. Your support is very much appreciated. These projects benefit everyone, and we would like to thank all who support our Parish with these special donations and every week. Confirmation 2026: We have been advised from Bishop's Office that the Ceremony for Sacrament of Confirmation will take place in our Parish on Monday, 23rd March 2026. Enrolment Ceremony for those who which to receive the Sacrament will take place in September. St Patrick's GAA Lotto Jackpot € 9,600 and numbers drawn were 1,22,25,30. Jim Kenna match 3 Damian Gerraghty, Tony Reilly, Miriam Kenny. Next drawn on 29th July and Jackpot will be €1,000.
Daily Maverick
18-07-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
People of Pennington: Tidy Towns pulls South Coast town into competition finals
Residents of Pennington, KwaZulu-Natal, are volunteering their time and money and working with the municipality to improve local services. Now, they're vying for Pennington to be crowned Town of the Year. Trimmed hedges, a walkable town, safety, cleanliness and a Blue Flag beach. It's these little things that improve the experience of a town, and despite challenges such as water outages and other service delivery issues, the residents of Pennington organise daily to help make the town pleasant and comfortable to live in. The chairperson of the Pennington non-profit organisation Tidy Towns, Viv Sandwith, says what they do is like putting lipstick on the town. Sandwith and her team at Tidy Towns played a big role in entering Pennington into a Town of the Year competition, which offers a R1-million prize. Sandwith and her team entered the town in the competition. They are all volunteers who do this work of organising the community over and above their day jobs or commitments. She said this was not possible without willing residents and daily community organising and building. She gave an example of a car park by the beach that Tidy Towns refurbished: 'You couldn't drive in this car park because of the potholes,' she said. 'So, we spent R350,000 repaving from scratch. We took out the tar and paved it. The bathrooms were unusable. They were so bad. And we got them renovated from head to toe. So, they're now like a five-star hotel inside. You can't go in because there's no water. So, basically, we put the lipstick on,' said Sandwith. Street groups 'Just to make our town look beautiful and feel clean. If the rubbish truck hasn't come because they're on strike, we organise rubbish collection. I've started a thing for street groups, so now every street in Pennington has a group and a leader. 'So, if I want to announce something, I put it on, and all the admins are in one group. I put it in one group and then they all spread it out. We can say, guys, rubbish trucks are not coming today, please keep your rubbish inside,' said Sandwith. Tidy Towns is a community-driven project. According to its web page, it is 'Supported by the joining hands of like-minded volunteers, private security companies, Umdoni Municipality, local Law Enforcement, the SAPS and the business sector. Participants are committed to restoring our public spaces to clean and safe environments, for the enjoyment of locals and visitors alike, whilst creating opportunities to improve the livelihoods of the committed cleaning teams created.' Sandwith said the street groups were also helpful because they helped foster safety, especially for the older people in the community. 'It's incredible, we're not living with potholes anymore. We're collecting money on our streets. We're fixing our potholes. Many of our streets are smooth sailing now because of the locals, so people are putting their own money in. But the important thing is that we never work outside of the municipality. I've got a very good relationship with them, with the beach manager. I had a meeting last week with the mayor, the municipal manager, and three of the GMs. We just sat and chatted,' said Sandwith. Despite continuous challenges with the Umdoni Municipality, the community pulls through to create a better community. A recent incident caused the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Umdoni Local Municipality to write to the Public Protector, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, as well as lay an official complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) 'over the Umdoni crisis that continues to cripple services'. This follows another staff strike that has paralysed operations amid calls for the mayor, Councillor Mbali Luthuli, and Acting Municipal Manager Nhlakanipho Khumalo, to go. The strike has entered its second week with no services being rendered. R1-million prize Pennington has got through the initial phases of kykNET's Dorp van die Jaar (Town of the Year) competition, beating competing towns in KwaZulu-Natal to become a finalist in the last round. Top towns from all participating regions in South Africa and Namibia are competing and the winner will win R1-million. Sandwith said they hoped to win so they could continue the work to upgrade and keep up the town. They hoped to buy a soccer kit for the local soccer team, install an outdoor gym, pay the guys who help clean up the town and other initiatives. 'We're going to refurbish the outside of the clinic and the library. Because this clinic serves a lot of Malangeni here,' Sandwith said. 'We want to add three bus stops. Oh, and we want to put in a fitness gym, [an] outdoor fit gym. So we want to put outdoor gym equipment for older people or kids. We want to help fix the roof of that hall because it needs work. We want to fix the showers up a bit here (at the beach),' said Sandwith. The town is small, and it is a retirement town, but it offers a variety of activities from golfing to beach activities and hiking. It also has special businesses such as the Basset Brewery, which has expanded to be a restaurant and nature sanctuary as it is built in what used to be a nursery. Andy Turner founded and runs the Doghouse Craft Café with his partner Natalie Danks. They offer tasting trays and advice on which meals to pair with the craft beer they offer. Turner said that the business originated when he was still making beer at home just for himself. Craft beers 'So I was brewing a little, 20 litres at a time, just trying to make the styles that I knew from Europe. 'And the first one I ever made that I was really proud of, which was good enough to show my friends, was an English bitter type of beer, so I called it Bassett Bitter.' Now they offer a variety of beers with certain crafts blended specifically for different seasons. Turner said the café and brewery had attracted beer enthusiasts from all over the world, along with their pies. He noted that a lot of people liked the beers that tasted most like commercial lagers, but others were more experimental and liked to be exposed to different beers. Danks moved to Pennington 17 years ago and says she loves the do-it-yourself spirit of Pennington residents — 'because either you are going to moan about the problem, or fix it'. DM
Irish Examiner
16-07-2025
- Irish Examiner
Cork man who threatened to kill Tidy Towns volunteer ordered to attend anger management
A Cork man who threatened to kill a Tidy Towns volunteer has been ordered to attend anger management classes by a district court judge. Vincent Harrington, aged 52, of Desert View, Clonakilty, appeared for penalty before Judge Joanne Carroll at Clonakilty District Court. At a previous hearing, Harrington was convicted of threatening to kill a Tidy Towns volunteer who parked their van in a lay-by near the entrance to Harrington's driveway. The conviction related to an incident that occurred at Convent Hill, Clonakilty on the afternoon of May 27, 2024. Mr Harrington had threatened the Tidy Towns volunteer he would hold his head under water and 'keep it there until the last breath'. Mr Harrington had claimed the injured party's van was parked in a dangerous position in the lay-by which adjoined a busy main road. He said there was not enough room to safely pass it and it was parked in a position that restricted access to his property. When Garda Brian Noonan attended the scene, he was able to pass the parked van in the lay-by in the garda SUV and also reverse back past it as well. He told the court in his opinion the van was not parked in a dangerous position, did not block access to Mr Harrington's driveway and did not pose a danger for vehicles turning onto the adjoining main road. Judge Carroll said Harrington has been 'incensed by what he perceived was a wrong', but that was not the case. The judge said Harrington had wanted to 'threaten and bully people' into not parking in the lay-by, and wanted to 'take the law into his own hands.' The judge told Harrington: 'You are very volatile and explosive over this issue.' She ordered Harrington to attend at least 'three or four' anger management sessions, to donate €200 to the poor box and to carry out 20 hours of voluntary work, which she advised him not to do with the Tidy Towns. The judge said if Harrington obeyed the courts instructions, then the Probation Act would be applied and the case was adjourned to November 4, 2025. This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme
Irish Independent
12-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Kerry students join forces with Tidy Towns members in ‘heartening' and successful litter pick
The volunteers eliminated rubbish from the environs of The Green and various other locations around Tralee on Wednesday. The clean-up marked a continuation between the local Tidy Towns association and the students as part of the CBS Tralee Summer Programme, which was established around the theme 'Building Confidence and Connections'. Students were kitted out with gloves, bags and litter pickers from Tralee Tidy Towns and they spread out across the town. The pupils picked up litter at the Brandon Car Park and town centre lanes as well as at the Dan Spring Road. The effort of the students and Tidy Towns members resulted in the collection of three bags of litter. The three bags marked a significant decrease on the amount of litter collected in the same litter pick last year, demonstrating the impactful work going in to the town's appearance. Those who participated in the initiative enjoyed senses of camaraderie and achievement from improving the appearance of their hometown. The organisers have extended their thanks to all students who took part in the demonstration of community spirit. Tralee Tidy Towns chairperson, Brendan O' Brien, said it was 'heartening to see so many young people come together during this summer season to help us at a time when we are being adjudicated for the national Tidy Towns competition'.
Irish Independent
10-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
North Kerry Tidy Towns group urging residents and businesses to enter local competitions in Listowel
The Tidy Towns Association is holding contests for the tidiest estates, the best kept roadside gardens and the best presentation of window boxes/hanging baskets. Each competition includes different categories of prizes that will be awarded to winners courtesy of generous local sponsors. Members have invited everyone to get involved in the competitions, as the upkeep of the town will go a long way to ensuring Listowel does well in this year's national Tidy Towns competition. Tidy Towns members are hoping that the overall prize awarded to Listowel in 2018 can be achieved once again. Those interested in entering the local competitions must register with Oonagh at Chemo Pharmacy on Market Street on or before Monday, July 14. No fee is required to enter. 'Remember, if you're not in, you can't win,' Listowel Tidy Towns PRO Jackie Barrett-Madigan said. Judging of each competition will be carried out by an outside panel the week after the entrance deadline. Listowel Tidy Towns has thanked the sponsors of its local contests. Kerry Ingredients is sponsoring the Estates Competition, O'Flynn's Centre/Circle K is backing the Hanging Baskets competition and Listowel Garden Centre & Café is supporting the Residential Gardens Competition. 'Without their generosity this part of Listowel Tidy Towns program would not be possible. And a big thank you to Oonagh for again facilitating the entries,' Ms Barrett said.
