Tidy Towns
To apply for Tidy Towns Grant 2024 please click on the following link
All over Kildare, Tidy Towns groups are working hard to make their communities cleaner, greener and more attractive for locals and visitors alike.
But they need your help.
Kildare's Tidy Towns Ambassador, GAA star Johnny Doyle, is calling on the people of Kildare to become involved in your local Tidy Towns group we can help you get in touch with them. You are probably aware that Tidy Towns groups do regular litter cleanups, but there is so much more than this involved- from drawing up three year plans, to making bird nestboxes and painting old buildings. The Tidy Towns competition has really expanded to include helping wildlife, protecting our built heritage and helping communities to reduce waste and increase recycling. So if you have a couple of hours to spare every month and want to become involved in improving your community- why not give it a try?
Kildare County Council is proud to support these groups and will be working closely with them on an ongoing basis. Support is available in the form of equipment such as litter pickers and bags, for cleanups. In addition, further assistance with developing the work of the committees will be given through the Kildare Tidy Towns network. This network is an opportunity for groups to share ideas and also receive training in areas such as enhancing wildlife, encouraging waste reduction and applying for the Tidy Towns competition. If you want to become involved in your local Tidy Towns group we can help you get in touch with them. For more details contact the Tidy Towns Team at 045 980588 or email tidytowns@kildarecoco.ie .
The entry form is available from the Tidy Towns website.
The competition (judged by a panel of judges chosen by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government) is decided based on scores attained in a number of different areas. These are:
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Community – Your Planning and Involvement
Involvement of the local community in committee activities, partnership with local businesses and works carried out in a planned and targeted manner.
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Street Scape and Public Spaces
This includes the conservation and presentation of buildings, treatment of derelict sites, design and practical use of civic amenities and general use of Irish language in signage.
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Green Spaces and Landscaping
Appropriate selection and sitting of trees, shrubs and flowers for year-round effect, maintenance of planted areas and management of open spaces.
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Nature and Biodiversity in your locality.
Conservation of natural amenities and wildlife areas, encouragement of wildlife, amenity walks and nature trails and improving appropriate access.
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Sustainability – Doing more with less
Managing waste and promoting efficient use of resources (e.g. water, energy, transport) in your community. Practical steps taken to prevent or reduce waste produced across your community.
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Tidiness & litter control
General lack of clutter, condition of signage, unused lamp poles, blocked footpaths, unsightly electric cables, absence of graffiti and fly-posting, traffic management and control of weed growth on kerbs. Also, the absence of litter and dumping, evidence of litter control strategy, including regular litter patrols, segregation of collected litter during clean-ups and promotion of anti-litter awareness throughout community.
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Residential streets & housing areas
Maintenance of boundary walls, fences, gardens and communal spaces, appropriate planting, estate signage and good planning.
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Approach roads, streets and lanes
Appropriate presentation of approach roads, including the roadside verges and their boundary treatment. The appearance of town and village streets, connecting roads, laneways, bridges and cycle lanes. Provision for inclusive access and pedestrian connections.
As you can see, these areas if tackled through the works of a Tidy Towns committee could make a real improvement to a community and that is the real value of the competition- not just the recognition of doing well in the competition itself, but to the improved community that results from these efforts.
Following a number of requests, the presentations at the 2019 regional Tidy Towns conference are available here:
There is a lot of useful information in these presentations that will assist in your application for the competition this year.