Ballincollig Tidy Towns committee is the latest recipient of the Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Award, which recognises people who generously give their time and commitment to the benefit of others.
The group's members have been rewarded for their focus on keeping Ballincollig clean and tidy with volunteers tirelessly dedicating their energy to the upkeep of the town.
The Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Award committee noted the group's mission statement reflects the spirit of the award: Bringing together all that is good in a community to create a town future generations can be proud of.
Recently, Ballincollig was named as Ireland's Tidiest Large Urban Centre for a second year in a row, beating 904 other towns and villages to take home the top prize at this year's Tidy Towns competition.
The Ballincollig Tidy Towns committee welcomes new members regardless of age, ability or interests, to work together to improve their town. They encourage members to look at how they live, how they use resources and how to try to create a circular economy, which produces little or no waste.
Each week the group organises activities to enhance Ballincollig including litter picking, clearing weeds, hanging flowers on the poles and fences and maintaining the arrangements at the roundabouts in the town.
Every Sunday morning, the committee arranges a litter pick with the group dividing to segregate the litter into rubbish and recycling. Some of it is used to make compost to use in other areas. During the summer months the group meets more often, typically on Tuesday and Thursday nights, to work on projects to maintain the town.
General Manager of the Cork International Hotel, Eoghan Murphy said; “Ballincollig Tidy Towns committee is a true reflection of what can be achieved when a group of like minded people work in tandem for a common goal. Their accolades over the years speak volumes - this is an ongoing project from the committee. Their dedication to the town of Ballincollig has been unwavering and highlights community spirit precisely. I’d like to congratulate the committee on their award and wish the community the very best of luck in the future.”
Ballincollig Tidy Towns was formed in 1965 with a handful of people. Today the group has over 80 volunteers.
Tom Butler has been Chairman of Ballincollig Tidy Towns for the past 25 years. He said, “I am very honoured and grateful to accept the Cork International Hotel Community Spirit Award on behalf of the committee. I took over as chairman for a short period of time but it just rolled on and what a journey we have been on. To witness the devotion from all parties involved on an ongoing basis is incredible. We are responsible and resolute for 52 weeks of the year and we aim to continue the same pattern. We are conscious of where we can gain ground on the Tidy Towns scorecard and every year we aim for the top. I’m very proud of the entire committee. I am very thankful for their time and energy. We are a very united group - we have never had to take a vote, we all sing from the same hymn sheet. We are very passionate about our town and I look forward to what else we can achieve together.”
The judging panel for the Community Spirit Awards is made up of a mixture of representatives from the public and private sector within the community.
Nominations are open for next month's awards at: https://www.corkinternationalairporthotel.com/community-spirit-awards/
Comments