TIDY TOWNS SCORES ON THE RISE YET AGAIN

WICKLOW Tidy Towns rose to the occasion and managed to secure a Bronze in the Tidy Towns competition as all entries from within the Wicklow Municipal improved their scores.

Wicklow Tidy Towns managed to increase their marks by nine from 295 to 304, achieving a much-coveted bronze award. They also managed to increase their marks across seven of the eight categories each town was judged upon, while receiving the same 44 points as last year in the Built Environment and Streetscape section.

Colette Murphy of Wicklow Tidy Towns said all the volunteers involved in weekly clean ups are delighted with their standing in the competition.

‘We put a lot of hard work into the year so it’s great to see things pay off,’ she said. ‘We had people going out at different times of the day and week and we have some wonderful volunteers.

‘Some days we would have ten people, on other days we would have over 15.

‘Generally we go out three times a week, twice during the working week carrying out planting and cleaning and once on Sunday morning just to carry out a general clean-up and tidy-up.

‘We are all thrilled with the result and we will be aiming for the silver next year.’

Cllr John Snell, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow Municipal District, was full of praise for all the tidy towns volunteers carrying out work within the district.

‘All the different tidy towns groups are to be commended.

‘It’s great for Wicklow to get a bronze and anyone familiar with them knows the amount of great work they carry out.

‘As an elected member of Wicklow Municipal District its great to see the money we give them is such value for money, even if we would love to be able to provide them with more.

‘It’s important to remember that all the work they carry out is voluntary and their efforts are appreciated by all citizens who can see the benefit of their endeavours.

‘Personally, I really look forward to working with then again in the future.’

There were also smiles all round in Newtownmountkennedy as their mark increased by five, with the scores rising in five of the eight categories and staying the same in the remaining three.

Pamela Burke said: ‘we are delighted with the results. We improved by five points which is one of the biggest jumps we have had. A lot of hard work was carried out and we will continue that hard work into the future.’

GLENEALY 257 MARKS (251 IN 2015)

Community Involvement and Planning

Your Forward Plan is perfectly apt for the purpose but we would ask that you update it to include a timeline for deliverables that will help you in focussing and maintaining momentum in the competition. We are delighted to hear that you have well attended committee meetings and weekly work meetings that include residents and members of the Junior TidyTowns. We thank both the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland Parishes for supporting your work together with a number of local businesses. Communications are fitting for a village of your size. We are pleased to learn that through your communications and continued participation in the TidyTowns movement more and more residents are becoming involved in your projects and works. As you embark on your ambitious plans of developing a park for Glenealy this support from the community will be of great assistance. Built Environment and Streetscape

Browne’s Village Store is quite tidy, perhaps clean the little wall under the railing to better enhance presentation. Kings’ Glenealy Lodge is well presented and we liked the decorative signage and delightfully landscaped garden. We didn’t drive up to the Church of Ireland as the gates were closed but the entrance gates and residence were admired. The adjudicator mentioned the possibility of getting the gates painted in last year’s adjudication report; perhaps this could be raised with the rector or parish members. The Community hall and astro-turf pitch are great community facilities and are well presented. The Roman Catholic Church was nicely presented. The little station house could be a future project, perhaps in association with Iarnrod Eireann, as it is currently looking somewhat forlorn. We note the stone wall at the school complete with fairy door! Landscaping and Open Spaces

The old pump has been effectively well refurbished with a neat landscaped bed at the bridge. You have a number of wooden planters throughout the village that are not necessarily best positioned. We don’t encourage planting in tubs and planters when there are significant opportunities to plant directly in the ground. Tubs and planters should be used in a more urban setting rather in your rural village. Your planter outside the gates of the RC Church is a good success and over time you should aim to replace the tubs with in-ground planting. Landscaping along the green and roadside at the Gleann Chill terrace housing was admired with a selection of foxgloves, roses and other perennials. The outdoor classroom is a great success. Kudos to the TidyTowns committee, all those who helped out and O’Hanlon herbs. We took lots of pictures, what a delightful school! Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities

A family of avid birdwatchers have been assisting you with this category this year. Having a red kite and buzzards in the neighbourhood is an exciting privilege. Perhaps the family and the TidyTowns committee could organise a dawn chorus walk or bird walk etc to raise awareness of the various species of birds and their habitats in Glenealy. You have been putting up nesting boxes along the Pure Mile and planting wildflowers on various locations. The wildflower banking near the railway line is not as successful as one would have hoped. Perhaps you need to add a greater variety of wildflower seeds here. Sustainable Waste and Resource Management

Bike stands noted near the bus stop and at the Village Hall. We couldn’t find your water butt at the community hall but congratulations on winning this. You could be encouraging householders to erect their own water butts or other resource saving ideas. Small initiatives like this do help. This category is also about engaging with the community on projects so perhaps for next year consider working on something that will get the community involved and like the water butt win – create a bit of a buzz! The school children are beginning to learn about growing their own herbs through the school garden and we love your idea of the committee showing the children recipe ideas. Perhaps the Mums, Dads and grandparents etc could also be invited along and you could broach the subject of food waste too if that is something the school would allow. We will look forward to hearing your work in relation to waste and resources next year. Tidiness and Litter Control

You enjoy a good working relationship with the Council and see that they support the Pure Mile initiative. In terms of litter control the standard was high on adjudication day. The Bus Eireann pole opposite the pub is rather jaded looking and the area around here is quite weedy. Bring banks were clean with no littering to report. Directional signage for Rathdrum / Ashord out past the Roman Catholic Church on the Rathnew Road is in need of fixing. The litter bin near the bridge at the pub would benefit from washing. Residential Streets and Housing Areas

The residence just inside the gates of the Church of Ireland is delightfully presented with a host of colourful flowers and shrubs on display. We visited Carrig View which has a nicely presented name stone. Residential properties and gardens were to a high standard in Hargrove. Anns Brook was presented to a high standard and the large green area was being maintained during our visit. Belard Manor is another estate were households and gardens are presented to a high standard. Mature trees and wooden planters enhance the green at Ballyfree Crescent, in this rural setting planting should be on the grass rather in planters, perhaps these planters can be moved to hard standing in the village such as at the community hall or pub carpark. The grass area at the wall of the COI has very successful planting. Thanks to all the residents for taking such care and attention and assisting Glenealy TidyTowns in this category. Approach Roads, Streets and Lanes

The approach from Rathdrum is well maintained particularly bearing in mind that you have a long approach from your welcome sign until you reach the core of the village. Tus workers were busy mowing grass verges in the vicinity of the national school on the day we visited. A review of signage should be completed and you will be able to determine signs that require cleaning or signs that should be replaced. For example, signage near the St. Josephs National School and 80 Km speed signs past the RC Church, would benefit from cleaning. The decorative street lighting standards were admired. Concluding Remarks

Yet again, another great year of work from Glenealy TidyTowns. Your enthusiasm for the competition and for making long lasting improvements to the village is evident from your application and on the ground during our visit. We thank you for your efforts and wish you well for the future.

NEWCASTLE 287 MARKS (275 IN 2015)

Community Involvement and Planning

Your application is strong under this category heading and you are making the right strides to get you where you would like to go. You convey a real sense of enthusiasm and willingness to further develop your village. Your approach to community consultation and engagement is to be praised, taking the time to make door to door enquires with a large number of householders is a way of personally connecting with the residents and making them aware of the work you are doing. Piggy backing on the interconnections between various organisations is another great method of getting greater community buy-in. You are communicating really effectively and hopefully capturing a wide audience with your various methods and means. From what you have set out in your application your adjudicator feels you are realising the benefits of good communications. We note that you have a 3-year plan which runs out this year. We hope you can develop another 3-year plan (2017 – 2020) building upon your current plan, and in consultation with the various community groups and local stakeholders. You have been justly rewarded for a great effort in this category over the past 12 months – well done! Built Environment and Streetscape

Newcastle Church of Ireland is a well maintained church occupying an elevated setting a little outside the village core. The neighbouring Parish Hall is presented to an excellent standard. We would have been interested to learn more about the Royal Castle. The Castle Inn and Kings Quarters Restaurant are both presented to a high standard. The Top filling station has a tidy forecourt. There is a commercial premise up for letting that is very neat and tidy. The GAA grounds are well presented and maintained. We really admired the station house down at the train line which is a delightfully presented residential property now but still an important part of the built environment in the village. There are also a number of cottages which add interest to the streetscape. The Community Centre is looking a little drab, this is partly related to its design and choice of building materials. While we generally no longer promote additional planters and hanging baskets, perhaps that could be all that is required to lift the building and make it more pleasing from the roadside. We like how you are promoting your rich local heritage; your guided walk in association with the various local clergy is not only a great educational event but also a social one where the community can come together and appreciate what you have on your door-step. We visited the restoration of the spring well and the Packhorse Bridge and noted the works completed. Landscaping and Open Spaces

Landscaping around Watchtower House is good. Bedding plants on Church Lane were admired. Mature tree cover in the village is good and we are pleased to note your appreciation of a good tree! We couldn’t miss the Giant Redwood near the entrance to Oaklawn House. Consider power-hosing the tarmac area near the Foroige seat and landscaped bed here. Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities

The County Council were working on the river bank near Hunters Leap installing gabion baskets to discourage riverbank erosion on the day we visited. We noted quite a lot of burnt grass around the Holy Spirit Oratory. We advocate for more environmentally friendly methods of weed control. Consider building composters here also, this would be a more sustainable solution to grass cutting disposal rather than leaving it in large rather unsightly heaps. Your newsletter appears to be regularly full of interesting topics. The inclusion of information on rare visitors, such as the Glossy Ibis, to your local BirdWatch Ireland nature reserve on Sea Road is a great example of how you are raising an understanding and awareness of this wonderful amenity. We wish you well with the development of your walkway and hope the access issues are resolved. Sustainable Waste and Resource Management

You have been busy in this category this year and have included some excellent projects. Setting up a car sharing group online is a great idea, getting people to change their habits and car share is now the task at hand. We look forward to keeping an eye on how this progresses for you over the next few years. You have a number of great initiatives ongoing such as the water butt project, ‘Think Global, Buy Local’ and associated promotion of your local Country Market and also the food waste competition during waste reduction week. Your garden gate initiative is also delightfully generous of those avid gardeners. All these merit an increase in marks this year. A little slap on the wrist - in keeping with the category - perhaps you could print your application double-side next year if you have the facilities to do so! Tidiness and Litter Control

Bollards are leaning near the entrance to Sea Road. The school children are playing their part in TidyTowns participating in the annual beach clean and participating in your anti-litter awareness poster competition. Litter control was good on adjudication day however we noted a few pieces of fresh litter along the grass verge past the community centre heading towards the Top etc. This was most likely from a passing car, the scourge for many towns and villages adjudicated in Wicklow this year. There was a significant number of dog walkers along the Sea Road and at the beach therefore continue to encourage owners to clean up dog fouling. Residential Streets and Housing Areas

We admired the lovely cottage across from the village pump. In Castle Manor houses and gardens are maintained and presented to a high standard; although a large vegetated bank along the roadway within the estate was burnt brown with weed killer. Personally, this adjudicator would rather look at the weeds. We visited a number of estates in the village including Race Field, Sea Court, and Hunters Leap and noted that many if not all of the houses and gardens were well presented. The use of bi-lingual signage on estate name signs is not common in Newcastle – it’s nice to retain a culpla focail where possible. Approach Roads, Streets and Lanes

Roadways are to a good standard in and around the village. The approach roads are well maintained and presented especially from Kilcoole approach. The Bridge near the Castle Inn is a nice feature in the village streetscape. The new footpath near the COI was noted, as was the pathway that runs along the playground connecting the estates to the village centre. Continue to lobby the Council to make pedestrian improvements to the school. Walkers were out in force along the Sea Road – have you developed the possibility of establishing a walkway from the village to the nature reserve and sea front area. Concluding Remarks

Your adjudicator enjoyed her first time visit to Newcastle. Newcastle village can progress much further in this competition with the continued efforts from the core team supported by the wider community. With free cake and coffee for TidyTowns volunteers at the Country Market – who wouldn’t want to lend a hand! Well done on a successful year and we wish you well with your future endeavours.

ROUNDWOOD 278 MARKS

Community Involvement and Planning

Roundwood TidyTowns is welcomed back to the SuperValu TidyTowns Competition 2016 after a year of absence. We thank you for your support to the TidyTowns movement over the past ten years and your dedication to enhancing and presenting your village to a good standard for residents and visitors. You have a dedicated committee with healthy numbers and it is heartening to hear that you are supported by a cohort of over forty volunteers on various projects. Community buy-in and support is a necessity in succeeding in this competition and there is evidence of a lot of support through the various local agencies and bodies such as the Community Council, Festival Committee and Walks

Committee. We are heartened to hear that there are increased opportunities for social interaction amongst the community over the past year, with the likes of the Great Roundwood Walk and BBQ and the Saturday morning runs around the Reservoir Sli na Slainte during Operation Transformation. Communications do not seem lacking and you are using various methods to liaise with the community and your stakeholders. You are engaging across generations also, including the youth in certain projects, working on projects such as the Pharmacy Home Link and emergency response alarms with the active retirement group. Finally, in terms of this category, adjudicators like to see a multi annual plan setting out your plans for the village under the various categories, over the next 3 or 5 years - perhaps this is something you could tackle for 2017. Reduce the workload by dividing the competition categories between a few of committee members. The preparation of the TidyTowns plan will help focus your work programmes and projects each year. Built Environment and Streetscape

Varty House and Byrne & Woods premises both are presented to a high standard. The unique building housing Keeley’s Hardware store was admired; however, be careful to ensure that full pedestrian access to the footpath is maintained to accommodate for those with accessibility issues. As a first time visitor to Roundwood, it was informative to read about this building on your interpretative board. Have you any plans to enquire about the undergrounding of cables from the church to Kavanagh’s? This would further improve the streetscape here. The gothic styled Church of St. Laurence enjoys a prominent location set back from the road. The Garda station is an attractive building and we noted a lot of activity here. We liked the traditional style of the barber shop. The Coach House and the Roundwood Inn are also due recognition due to fine presentation. We visited St. Laurence O’Toole’s National School and noted the reused tyres and the willow structure in the playground. Hopefully the old national school will come into productive use shortly as it is located on a prominent junction in your village. The toilet block has seen better days and had no loo roll or hand towels present. There appeared to be a significant number of foreign visitors in your village early on a Thursday morning and it is felt that improved facilities may be welcomed. We noted works were ongoing at the community centre also. Landscaping and Open Spaces

There was a broken planter near the pedestrian crossing at the bike stands. Synnotts Corner could be spruced up a little. We realise that a lot of your energies

are taken up with the Reservoir Walks and indeed these were very busy and well utilised so your efforts are paying dividends and helping to increase visitor numbers to Roundwood. You have some work in the pipeline in relation to landscaping works so we wish you well with these. Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities

You have a great working partnership with Irish Water in relation to the Reservoir Walks and have ambitious plans which will require a significant workload over the next year with the car park development and ongoing maintenance. Indeed, significant money and resources have been invested thus far and it forms a significant chunk of your workload. Roundwood National School are playing their part assisting you with this category by working on pollinator friendly planting. We noted the insect hotels on the Ashford Road. Many of your social events make use of the Reservoir Sli na Slainte, ensure you are highlighting why these areas are of natural heritage significance to the local community and raising understanding of the flora and fauna of the locality is an important aspect of this category. Sustainable Waste and Resource Management

There has been a number of worthy initiatives this year in relation to resource efficiency such as the book exchange, monthly car boot sales, plant swaps and the Roundwood Active Retirement Group facilitated information session regarding the warmer home scheme. We liked the discount offered by local businesses upon purchasing a tea or coffee if one brought their own thermal mug. It would be interesting to hear if these initiatives are being widely used. A local business has converted from diesel generators to a new renewable energy system. Be sure to keep your eyes on the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland website in relation to the Better Energy Communities. Grant funding is available to provide energy efficiency upgrades for community and commercial facilities and details for 2017 will be announced later this year as far as your adjudicator is aware. This could be something of interest to you or other local businesses. Bike stands were noted and were being used on adjudication day. Tidiness and Litter Control

On the grass verge along the main thoroughfare to the fore of the community centre building there is a redundant wooden sign that should be removed. Weeding at the cemetery car park would be welcomed, the stone carved signage is simple but effective in this location. The notice board at the Centra premises was noted and we thank them for accommodating this and other recent improvement works. Thanks for taking part in the annual spring clean – its surprising how much litter is picked up by these each year – over 50 bags in your case. We thank all those who participated in this event. We note that you conduct monthly street cleanups. Perhaps these need to be increased during the summer season? We noted quite a bit of fresh litter on the street when we walked it. A few sweet wrappers outside the bin at the Centra store, and a polystyrene tub was discarded at the steps of the takeaway/ pharmacy. Are two bins required at Bertie’s triangle? Residential Streets and Housing Areas

There are many well-presented premises in the village core. One household in particular had a great host of colour coming from planters, window boxes and hanging baskets across from Tochar House. Households in Tochar Pairc are well presented with a well maintained feature planting bed. Presentation in Djouce Meadows was to a high standard. Some kerbside weeds and a little bit of litter was noted in Vartry Heights. Painted properties in Vartry Heights have much more kerb appeal than the unpainted properties. We noted properties are currently under development across from the Health Centre. Encourage existing residents’ associations to get involved with your committee or indeed facilitate and encourage the establishment of new residents’ associations were none exist.

Also considering planting projects in association with the estates would be apt. Approach Roads, Streets and Lanes

On the approach from Laragh the name stone flowerbed requires some planting, choose low maintenance pollinator friendly plants. The seating area on the approach from Ashford needs attention as one of the seat’s back is broken and would benefit from power washing. Have you considered erecting a picnic table here? Some lighting standards are nearing time for a coat of paint. Concluding Remarks

Significant energies are going into the development of the Vartry Walks Project and this will pay dividends in the long-term in a number of different ways. In the short-term you should try to divide resources out and concentrate on all competition categories. You have a lovely village with great scope to do well in the competition – keep up the hard work.

LARAGH & G’DALOUGH 262 MARKS (262 in 2015)

Community Involvement and Planning

It is wonderful that you are well supported by the likes of the Community Garden group, the national school, St. Tiernan’s Cycling Club and the local GAA club as well as the Council and District Development Association. We wondered how supportive the various businesses are to the TidyTowns movement in Laragh. The village enjoys high volumes of visitors throughput particularly due to your proximity to the monastic city of Glendalough, a prime tourist attraction. Indeed, many premises were heaving when we visited; so it would be great to hear that businesses were supporting and encouraging your group. Your village also provides for the day-to-day needs of the local community and some of the service needs of visitors, so we had that in mind on adjudication day. You communicate well with your local stakeholders through a variety of methods – keep it up! As mentioned in last year’s adjudication report, a multi annual TidyTowns plan is an important aspect of this category, which also helps focus your attention in the other competition categories. The plan need not be elaborate, a document prepared that sets out your intentions over the next few years for each category is suffice. Built Environment and Streetscape

This category of the competition primarily concerns how buildings and main thoroughfares are maintained and/or improved. It also concerns conservation of important architectural and heritage buildings. Consider inputting information such as when shop fronts have been painted, improvement works to buildings, treatment of derelict properties, and the like. There are a number of well presented premises throughout the village, such as, the Glendalough Green Café/Deli and Lynham’s Hotel situated at a key junction. Wicklow Heather Restaurant is a popular spot and was a hive of activity on adjudication day. It was presented to a high standard. McCoys Petrol Station has a tidy forecourt area. St Kevin’s Roman Catholic Church is a fine building nicely set within large well tended grounds. We note that you are aiming to erect a bus shelter in autumn and wish you well with this planned project. The beech hedging is an excellent addition to the GAA grounds. Landscaping and Open Spaces You are committed to maintaining a section of the Avonmore Way, an excellent addition to Wicklow’s Waymarked Ways with lovely woodland and riverside tracks. Well done on your commitment given to this project allowing more walkers to get an appreciation of the scenic views of Trooperstown Hill and the Vale of Clara. We like that you are continuing to plant trees in the village and we note that you have planted a number of apple trees and plum trees at two locations this year. After much searching, we were disappointed that we could not find a picnic table in the village, as we had brought a picnic and purchased hot drinks and a few nice treats in the café/deli. We ended up enjoying our late lunch at Glendalough where facilities were wonderful. Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities

We visited the community garden (it was a little hard to find!) and found a fantastic amenity together with polytunnel. The wildlife area here would benefit from a small wooden directional sign or similar. We wondered if this area is accessible to the public? Consider also erecting interpretative signage in relation to the flora and fauna in your wildlife area; perhaps this is a potential project the local school could get involved in. Remember this category is about raising awareness of the natural amenities in your area – perhaps you could promote the Avonmore Way. Sustainable Waste and Resource Management

We visited your Community Garden – a fabulous project worthy of inclusion in a number of the competition categories. We note that the local national school are also involved in this project. Through this project you are providing education opportunities in relation to growing your own fruit and veg, farm to fork ethos and food miles. We are sure that improvements in biodiversity and composting have been key elements in the development of the garden. The monthly car boot sales held from March to October also give reuse and recycling opportunities. Check out the TidyTowns section on the Environment Protection Agency’s Local Authority Prevention Network:

http://localprevention.ie/tidy-towns/. You will find some excellent examples that may be of interest. Perhaps setting up a book reuse library near the Café/Deli could be a project to consider. Tidiness and Litter Control

Monthly litter patrols are supplemented by checks from your TUS worker. We would have thought that litter controls should be more frequent during the summer period; however on adjudication day litter control was good. Continue to create litter awareness to your local community via the parish newsletter. How do you create litter awareness to the visitors and tourists? Have you considered investigating the potential of the undergrounding of cables in the village core? Perhaps this is something that a number of local stakeholders could progress. Residential Streets and Housing Areas

Stone walls add interest on your approach. We noted many well presented houses and gardens in Beechwood, Brockagh and Mountain View. Are there many residents associations established? Residents are encouraged to adopt roadsides adjacent to their homes and to maintain same; this is a good idea and should be further encouraged along the main thoroughfares. Approach Roads, Streets and Lanes

We suggest that you could conduct an audit of your signs in and around the village. The 50 km speed limit sign from Rathdrum are a little concealed by foliage. This adjudicator also picked up on a comment contained in last year’s adjudication report – are all signs relating to business still required. Does Laragh participate in the Pure Mile project? Concluding Remarks

Praise goes to the committee members who volunteer their time for the village, its residents, and visitors. Well done to all involved in this year’s efforts. We wish you well for the year ahead and hope you find some of the suggestions made in this report helpful.

ASHFORD 275 MARKS (268 in 2015)

Community Involvement and Planning

Ashford TidyTowns is welcome to the 2016 SuperValu TidyTowns Competition. Thank you for your application and supporting materials. You are a well organised group and have established sub-committees to deal with various aspects. We are delighted to hear that a Junior TidyTowns initiative is coming to fruition. It would appear that you are fortunate to receive wonderful community support. Your increased level of community engagement has led to the positive presentation of your town over the past six years, since you first entered the national competition. Solid business support goes far in the TidyTowns Competition and after all a town that looks good has a better chance to thrive. The local businesses are thanked for their generous donations to your cause. It is great that you are working constructively with other organisations such as the County Wicklow Partnership, Ashford Development Association, the Senior Community Group, Lions Club, Ashford Community and Heritage Centre to name only but a few. Adjudicators cannot stress enough the importance of a good map. Your map should show the number and locations of your current projects for this adjudication period only, while also indicating local features, street names, road names, residential estates and key landmarks to help the adjudicator become familiar with your local area. You can use your map to show the areas you have worked hard to improve. Perhaps also ensure that you are including your projects under the correct category headings for next year and try to be a little more succinct in your answers. Inclusion of dates would assist the adjudicator also. You have eleven individuals in your committee, who are very dedicated, spending a great deal of voluntary hours working on the various TidyTowns and community related initiatives. Built Environment and Streetscape

Your town has evolved from what the competition classes a ‘village’ to a ‘small town’ over recent years and there continues to be ongoing development in and around Ashford. There is a large building site adjoining Ashford Fair, hopefully progress on this prominent site will be swift. Once again we thank the many businesses for the effort they put into maintaining their shop fronts and premises. The shopping area and car park around Mount Usher Gardens is delightfully maintained. The Woodpecker restaurant looked well with its sympathetic painting scheme and colourful hanging baskets. Adriano’s was noted for its clean and neat presentation. Hanging baskets, planters and window boxes all complimented the exterior of the Chester Beatty Inn. We also liked the Romany Stone building but thought it would be advantageous if the gable wall (facing the roundabout) had a similar colour of exterior. The Heritage Centre building restoration is a success and we like that you are considering accessibility here in terms of planting. We have touched on an accessibility issue we noted during our visit further on in this report. We note the restoration works to the Holy Well and we like how you held an informative talk in the Heritage Centre in relation to the traditions associated with it. Landscaping and Open Spaces

You are fortunate to have Mount Usher Gardens situated within your town. Unfortunately our busy schedule did not allow time for a visit. Ashford is also home to ‘Sculpture in Woodland’, a beautifully landscaped and maintained area within Ashford Community Park, featuring a collection of contemporary sculptures by Irish and international artists. We thoroughly enjoyed our walk around your wonderful park and we noted that it was really busy and being enjoyed by a mix of people of all ages. The interpretative signage depicting wildlife in the town we found interesting and well positioned. Trees can be vital to the general character of an area and therefore it is great that you are involved in National Tree Week and plan annual planting for future generations to enjoy. Colourful planters and boxes are suitably positioned at traffic junctions on hard-standing. We are sorry to report that we visited the school but did not locate the flower bed project undertaken by the Junior TidyTowns group, no doubt it looked well. Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities

Your adjudicator believes that your top priority under this category should be liaising with the relevant authorities in relation to the weir. We have assumed that Storm Frank or one of the other winter storms finally got the better of it. Consulting with the Council and ensuring ecological protection of the ecosystem and river habitat during any works is advised. You have begun communications with a number of bodies in relation to this. Your other work in this category has been noted including the audit on species within the Park, Varty River clean-up, promotion of Wicklow Biodiversity Week, wildflower areas etc. We look forward to hearing how your proposed riverside walkway develops. Sustainable Waste and Resource Management

You are promoting the ethos ‘Keep It Local’ leading by example via supporting local business and encouraging the community to do likewise. This is a small step that can be taken to reduce our environmental impact and research has shown that when we buy from an independent, locally-owned business, rather than nationally-owned businesses, significantly more of our money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers, and farms which all combines to strengthen the local economy. You have conducted a business audit this year and your results are interesting, increased recycling amongst local businesses and a willingness to monitor water usage. There is considerable scope for the introduction of energy saving and energy efficient practices amongst those who participated. It is great that you are highlighting these issues to local businesses and also promoting the residential renewable energy grant scheme. In keeping with the ethos of this category please ensure you print your application form double sided next year, if you have the ability to do so. You can also submit your application online or via email to the TidyTowns Unit. We hope you can now sustain the momentum in relation to this category. Tidiness and Litter Control

Leaning solicitors advertising pole on the Main Street was noted. There is a rough area across from Hanley’s farm and garden centre. Tatty circus posters were noted on a few poles. We noted a large black sack of something (assumed to be rubbish, but we didn’t investigate!) at the large black gates near the roundabout. Your regular litter picks and patrols are reaping rewards as litter control was considered to be of a very good standard on adjudication day. Residential Streets and Housing Areas

This year you are having your inaugural estates and residential areas competition. We wish you well with this. The houses at Ballinalea are presented to a high standard as is the communal green area along the frontage here. A gentleman was busy painting his cream fence just down from the Woodpecker, his cottage had a wonderful garden and deserves special recognition! Woodview and Rosanna close were visited, weeding along the kerbside is required and the greens could be improved with increased maintenance. Children were enjoying the large green areas but we noted cars parked on the green in areas of Woodview near the zipline, which should not be encouraged. The old public telephone unit should also be removed in Woodview. Households in Carraig Park and River Walk were presented to a high standard. Approach Roads, Streets and Lanes

A review of signage in and around the town would be beneficial. Some are dirty, others could be replaced. The Mount Usher Garden sign on the approach from Dublin would benefit from painting. The Ashford sign at the entrance to the River Walk Estate would benefit from cleaning. Encourage drivers to be aware of access issues. A van was parked on the footpath partially blocking it near the entrance to the Centra store. This can impact upon the likes of parents with young children in buggies, older people and wheelchair users. We note that there has been work around universal access in Ashford and it is a topic you are well versed in. The Pure Mile local authority initiative is supported by a large number of centres in Wicklow so we congratulate your accolades in relation to this. Concluding Remarks

Thank you for your continued support to the TidyTowns Competition and we hope you will find some of the suggestions in this report useful as you plan for the year ahead. We were delighted to read that you continue to ‘strive to ensure that people understand that TidyTowns is not only about litter picking and pretty flowerbeds’. Thank you for enlightening the community on the wider aspects of the competition. As such, the TidyTowns initiative is very much a development programme as much as a competition. Your participation is a win-win for all of Ashford!

N’MOUNTKENNEDY 266 MARKS (261 IN 2015)

Community Involvement and Planning

Newtownmountkennedy and District TidyTowns Association is very welcome to the 2016 SuperValu TidyTowns competition. Firstly, thank you for your upbeat and interesting application form. You enjoy a good working relationship from a wide variety of bodies and agencies and are getting support from various businesses, sponsors, private donations and other grants and funds. It is great that local people with differing skills and interests are also assisting you; this input helps ensure projects are more successful. You are communicating well with the community by using a variety of methods and mediums – keep up the great work. Although there is no Junior TidyTowns committee per se, the younger generations are involved and it is great that events such as Street Feast, Mountkkennedy Forest Spooky Trail and Easter Egg Hunt are really family orientated. Your plans for the town are impressive and getting direction from a professional planner and consulting with the local community should pay Continued next page

Glenealy