ADJUDICATORS’ REPORTS

to provide habitat diversity was noted in the park and you left an area to grow wild with signage telling the visitor it’s a managed wildlife area.’

In terms of Sustainable Waste and Resource Management the judges said the aim of this category is to ‘encourage TidyTowns groups to move beyond recycling, to take steps to reduce the amount of waste produced by the community in the first place and to best manage the resources used by the community.’

They noted the green flag at the local school and said while ‘ there is a good relationship between the Development Association and the school we wonder how you specifically work with the school and the Green School committee to help them further progress the Green Schools Agenda?

‘We understand that the children help in litter control / recycling in school, compiling reports on surveys and environment walks but we would welcome more information on how you help them in return.

‘We are sure you can come up with some beneficial projects over the coming years to ensure the community thinks and acts more sustainably.’

In the Tidiness and Litter Control category the judges were pleased that the bring banks were clean and well presented but were disappointed with ‘ a significant amount of dog fouling’ on John’s Lane walk.

They also said that a dog had pulled litter out of a full bin at Canon Murphy Park which was then strewn on the green.

Judges also complimented the scheme workers who carry out daily litter patrols along the Main Street.

In the Residential Streets and Housing Areas judges said homeowners in Canon Murphy Park should be encouraged to paint their boundary walls. They also praised a nice rose garden close to the rear of the school.

They suggested investigating the possibility of running a project to encourage and promote families and help the elderly paint boundary walls in and around the village.

When it came to the Villas estate they noted ‘painted light standards and hanging baskets. There are lots of avid gardeners in The Villa with many wonderful gardens on display.’

The judges wondered if there were plans for the severely fire damaged house in the area and said that in’ the Woodlands there was a well maintained grass area and various planters that added interest.’

In the final category of Approach Roads,, Streets and Lanes the judges said the approach roads were well maintained ‘ especially on the approach from New Ross.

‘ There are a number of trees along the main road that no longer require stays; indeed the stays may be doing more harm than good’, they said.

Concluding the judges said ‘while the village core is quite compact you maintain a large area that extends outside of the village, this is no mean feat. You are currently doing good work maintaining the areas you have and working to implement the plans for the Amenity Park.’

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND PLANNING

Your committee is fortunate to receive a good deal of support from local volunteers and other bodies such as the Men’s Shed, the local GAA club, the Church Committees from both religious denominations, the local action group, business group, retirement group, and local businesses to name but a few. Given that it can be established, from historical records, that the area comprising the town of Taghmon has been inhabited since at least as early as 595 AD we are pleased to read that the Historical Society also are great supporters of Tidy Towns. You are engaging well with the local schools and the younger generation of Taghmon and we would hope you will encourage the school, youth club and the childcare centre to get involved in a project annually. We had a brief look at your Tidy Towns Facebook page, you currently have 51 followers. We urge you to try and post often, ask for help if you need it and aim to get an increase in the number of likes/followers; more people will hear of the work of Tidy Towns in the community and you may even be lucky enough to get some offers of help.

BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND STREETSCAPE

Irish Pride occupies a prominent site in the village and it was well presented. The Daybreak and car park was clean and uncluttered. The Country Bistro premises was tidy and complimented with planting and colourful flower boxes, in this vicinity the car park was also clean and tidy. The Campus also had a tidy appearance however we thought the forecourt canopy is getting a little battered at the front. The Credit Union building would benefit from a fresh coat of paint and we thought the gates were a nice feature on the street. This competition category also includes the protection of architectural heritage and built structures. You have many important links to the past and we would be interested to hear how these are being conserved. Of interest is the heritage trail project that is getting underway and the proposed app to link people to the historical society’s completed records of the cemeteries etc. At St. Munn’s Church, we liked the addition of the historian plaque giving details of Henry Francis Lyte who for some time held a curacy in your village over 200 years ago and who was the author of notable church hymns. As a onetime organist, your adjudicator thought it interesting to be able to associate these wonderful well known hymns to your village. The neighbouring medieval Taghmon Castle was built as a towerhouse or keep beside the church, and its remains are visible from various vistas around the town. The Life Pharmacy was noted positively for its clean and fresh frontage. The notice board at the Square is an ideal location to post TidyTowns related information but this was empty. Dunleavy Solicitors looks quite well presented with the wooden façade but is it due a new coat of paint shortly? Also Jacksie’s and The Fountain Bar are getting a little run down looking; nothing that a good coat of paint would not solve. The community centre looks well and is nicely landscaped. It is positive to note that the Teach Spraoi facility and the Action Group office provide access to all members of the community and that the local GAA club are installing a lift to ensure universal access to the clubhouse bar. The handball club has nice signage and a colourful mural. St. Fintan’s Church is impressive however we thought that perhaps the wall would benefit from painting.

LANDSCAPING AND OPEN SPACES

In terms of landscaping and open spaces we found the offerings for this category somewhat lacking. The Celtic Cross Memorial garden was noted. The hard landscaping at the Square could be improved upon. Seating here is in need of sanding and painting, perhaps the area could be power washed also. At the playground at Ard Munna there was quite a lot of weeds and grass around the footpaths, which gave a bad impression.

WILDLIFE, HABITATS AND NATURAL AMENITIES

Creating awareness such as at the frog habitat is applicable. Key to this category is an understanding and appreciation of existing habitats and species within your local environs. Have you conducted a habitat survey to date? Many centres find this a useful starting point. This category is concerned with conservation and education. Namely, maintaining and conserving important wildlife areas; and educating and creating awareness amongst the local stakeholders about the flora, fauna and local wildlife heritage on their doorstep. Please consider this when developing work programmes and projects intothe future. Perhaps you could consider holding an event for those interested in nature and wildlife. Encouraging homeowners to plant areas of their garden with wildflowers and leaving areas to grow a little wild from time to time also increases biodiversity opportunities. Other centres are concentrating on helping to implement actions under the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan which may also be of interest.

SUSTAINABLE WASTE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

We noted that St. Fintan’s National School had their