A meet and greet with Ollie Dugdale

As part of our new series highlighting people of the town, this week Newmarket Notes caught up with Ollie Dugdale, Chairperson of Newmarket Community Development Association.

Hi, Ollie, thanks for talking to us. I suppose the first question is what does the Newmarket Development Association do? OD: We’re a group of volunteers that work to maintain and improve the appearance of the town and to enhance its vibrant nature. For instance, we look after the

Xmas lights, Santa visits, St Patricks Day parade, our outside speaker system and also the Tidy Town initiative amongst others. Also we support the Autumn town Festival in September.

NN: And what does all this involve?

OD: It involves us liaising with Cork County Council with regard to state funding for various initiatives. There’s an annual budget that we rely on to help us throughout the year.

For instance, we’re looking at upgrading our CCTV systems and we supervise our Community Employment (CE) Scheme which performs street sweeping as well as mowing the grassy areas around town.

Painting and sprucing up house frontages is also an ongoing process requiring a lot of community cooperation.

NN: And is there a committee?

OD: Yes, I’ve a committee of 4 who assist me in looking at ideas as well as their implementation so a big thank you to Maura Sheahan, Marion Murphy, Soty Guerin and Alison Cronin for all their help.

NN: Ollie, you’ve been Chairperson now for 14 years and on community committees now for 21! That’s a tremendous achievement. What are some of the highlights and challenges?

OD: One of my proudest moments was the building of the footpath along the Low Road a few years ago as not only was it really needed, it was a great example of collaboration between the community and the committee to raise all of the funds needed.

NN: Tell us about Tidy Towns

OD: It involves making sure that we, well, keep the town tidy! We look after all the benches around town and building new seating areas such as the one opposite Market View Café.

The many planter boxes around town are looked after by volunteers who do a marvellous job throughout the year. Our wild flower group have also been really busy planting near the park.

I am pleased to say that last year, Newmarket scored ten points higher than 2022 so we are getting better and better.

NN: The challenges?

OD: Well, I would encourage people to contact us via our Facebook page and on Messenger with constructive ideas. We are Community Development so all input is welcome.

I definitely would like to see our Paddy’s Day festivities get bigger and better!

NN: Finally, what new initiatives have you in mind?

OD: I would love to see a Tennis Club formed where we could get regular organised use of the tennis court near the town park. Any volunteers?

NN: Many thanks Ollie, for your time!