Kerry’s five gold medals reflect a real pride in property

WHILE Kerry’s 5 Gold Medals at the National Tidy Towns Awards are still being heartily and deservedly enjoyed by the volunteers involved, the results equally reflect great pride in Kerry properties. Many people assume the Tidy Towns is all about removing litter from the streets and while this is certainly true to a point, one must not discount lightly the important role Tidy Towns play in property preservation and enhancement as residents, businesses and shop owners across Kerry are out in force decorating streets and properties in advance of the judge’s visit.

Among the eight criteria assessed by the judges are ‘Residential Streets & Housing Areas’, ‘Built Environment & Streetscape’ and ‘Community Involvement & Planning’. Such categories are naturally geared towards improving and enhancing the properties in each entrant’s locality and this dedication helps keep properties in towns and villages looking well which might otherwise have fallen into disrepair.

A quick glance through the adjudicator’s reports for each of Kerry’s Tidy Town entrants will show many references to buildings ‘looking fresh’ and ‘in pristine condition’. It doesn’t require a gigantic leap in imagination to know the chances of selling an attractive and well maintained property are obviously greater than a property that is not. Therefore, it could be said the Tidy Town Awards also reflect a sense of pride in Kerry property.

A litter-picking project by St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School for Killarney Tidy Towns.