18 December 2024
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Dan Boyle hosted a civic reception in honour of Ballincollig Tidy Towns last evening (Tuesday December 17) to celebrate Ballincollig being named as the overall winner of this year’s SuperValu Tidy Towns Competition. Ballincollig was also named Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre 2024 and a 12th time Gold Medal winner.
The then Bord Failte organised Tidy Towns competition began in 1958 and has become Ireland’s best-known sustainability and environmental initiative. The competition is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development and has been proudly sponsored by SuperValu since 1991.
Pictured, from left Dominik Wachta (9), the youngest member of the Ballincollig Tidy Towns group; Tom Butler, Chair of Ballincollig Tidy Towns; Lord Mayor, Cllr. Dan Boyle; Jacqueline Cullinane (90), the oldest member of Ballincollig Tidy Towns and Cllr. Joe Carroll, Mayor of the County of Cork.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
Pictured, from left are Valerie O’Sullivan, Chief Executive, Cork City Council; Dominik Wachta (9), the youngest member of the Ballincollig Tidy Towns group; Tom Butler, Chair of Ballincollig Tidy Towns; Lord Mayor, Cllr. Dan Boyle; Brian Geaney, Assistant Chief Executive, Cork City Council and Jacqueline Cullinane (90), the oldest member of Ballincollig Tidy Towns.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
Tom Butler, chair of the Ballincollig Tidy Towns cutting the cake to celebrate their All-Ireland win with members of the Tidy Town group in attendance.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
Pictured, from left Dominik Wachta (9), the youngest member of the Ballincollig Tidy Towns group; Tom Butler, Chair of Ballincollig Tidy Towns and Jacqueline Cullinane (90), the oldest member of Ballincollig Tidy Towns.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
Ballincollig Tidy Towns has a long and distinguished history with the national competition. Since it first took part in 1965, the voluntary organisation has become deeply ingrained in the ‘village’ and has made a significant impact on the local community.
Speaking at the awards, Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Dan Boyle said: “This award is so well deserved. Ballincollig Tidy Towns is a shining example of community spirit, collaboration, perseverance, and civic pride. They have done fantastic work around greening, fostering biodiversity and are trailblazers in terms of community climate action. Their success is testament to the efforts of an army of volunteers who work week-in, week-out on litter picks, environmental projects, floral and landscaping projects and much, much more”.
Cork City Council Director of Services – for Corporate and Community Affairs – Rebecca Loughry, also offered her congratulations to everyone involved in Ballincollig Tidy Towns, saying: “This award and their success over many years is testament to their fantastic community spirit and great pride of place which is evident for all to see in Ballincollig. Cork City Council is very proud to support and appreciates the dedication and volunteer effort that goes into winning such a prestigious award. I also want to thank our teams in City Hall, who work with and support those voluntary efforts.”
The judges’ report of their visit said “Ballincollig is something special” and commended all those involved for “bringing together all that is good in a community to create a town that future generations can be proud of”.