Mayo community rallies after a €12,000 Tidy Towns theft leaves volunteers devastated

The Ballina community has rallied in support of its Tidy Towns group after thieves stole around €12,000 worth of equipment in a break-in last week.

The theft, which happened just days after the group moved its equipment to a new premises, left volunteers “absolutely soul destroyed” as they arrived to find their store “totally cleaned out” of hand tools, hedge clippers and industrial strimmers.

While larger machinery such as ride-on lawnmowers was left untouched, the stolen items were described as “the nitty gritty tools” essential for the group’s daily work keeping Ballina “neat, tidy and presentable.”

Speaking on RTÉ’s 'Liveline', Tidy Towns volunteer Anne Marie Forbes said the loss initially felt like a major blow.
“We were probably one of the best equipped Tidy Towns in the country until last Wednesday morning. To see it all gone was devastating,” she said.

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But what followed was an overwhelming show of solidarity from across the town. “It gave us the understanding of how much people respect the work we do,” Ms Forbes explained. “We thought we were just plodding along quietly, but the community really showed us otherwise.”

Within hours, local businesses and residents had pledged to replace the stolen items. SuperValu, a national Tidy Towns sponsor, quickly committed €5,000 worth of equipment, while local security companies and hotels offered support, including fitting alarms at the storage premises.

Transition year students at St Mary’s Secondary School also sought permission to hold a fundraising flag day, saying they were “touched” by what happened to “our town.”

Ms Forbes praised the swift response from An Garda Síochána as well as the generosity of locals, describing it as “a heart warming reminder that the good in a community far outweighs the bad.”

The Ballina Tidy Towns committee, founded over 25 years ago, has long been at the centre of community life. Volunteers say the rallying response will ensure their work continues uninterrupted.

“This was initially a very sad story,” Ms Forbes said, “but it’s ended up as a story of community spirit, Ballina at its very best.”