Skerries pips Westport to the Tidy Towns post

HONOURING COMMITMENT Serena Reilly collected a SuperValu Community Hero Award on behalf of her late father, Noel Reilly of the Belmullet TidyTowns committee. Serena received the award from John Page of SuperValu, Castlebar at the Tidy Towns awards ceremony in Dublin yesterday, Monday.

Áine Ryan

THE north County Dublin town of Skerries was named Ireland’s Tidiest Town at a ceremony in The Helix, Dublin, yesterday afternoon at the SuperValu TidyTowns. With 327 marks, the first-time winner was just two ahead of Westport, which was awarded 325 marks, three more than in 2015. It is eight years ago (2008) since the west Mayo tourism haven won the overall accolade for a third time.   
Westport won the county award, a regional award and a national award for the Edible Landscape, as well as retaining its gold medal. County town, Castlebar won a silver medal and increased its points by four from last year. The capital of Erris, Belmullet brought home gold, won a county award, and the overall Gradam na Gaeltachta award. It achieved the same marks as in 2015: 319. The coastal village of Murrisk, which has featured in the awards on many occasions, increased its mark from 310 last year to 314 this year and retained its bronze medal while the north Mayo capital of Ballina also retained its bronze. The village of Carracastle, in east Mayo, won an Endeavour Award.    
In a poignant moment the late Noel Reilly of Belmullet was highly commended with a Supervalu Community Hero Award. Nominated by local SuperValu retailer Noel Kavanagh, he was recognised for his unwavering commitment to enhancing his local community.
The SuperValu Community Hero awards celebrate the efforts of 10 Community Heroes from across Ireland who act as exemplary members of their community. Mr Reilly’s wife Eva and daughter Serena accepted the award on his behalf.
Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu, Martin Kelleher said: “The SuperValu TidyTowns competition recognises the efforts of communities up and down the country and year after year we see the tremendous power of local as volunteers rally together to enhance their towns and villages. The SuperValu Community Hero Awards are intended to recognise those who go above and beyond in their endeavours and I would like to congratulate all our winners on this tremendous achievement.”
The Chairperson of Westport Tidy Towns, Ms Eithne Larkin congratulated Skerries on its win.
“It is the first time Skerries is an overall winner in the 58 years since the competition was established. Interestingly, it is only the second time a Dublin town won, with Malahide the other former overall winner. We are delighted that we increased our marks by three which, obviously, at our level can be difficult but we hope to keep increasing it,” Ms Larkin told The Mayo News.    

Overall winner
SKERRIES was deemed the best of 859 villages and towns that entered the 2016 SuperValu National TidyTowns competition. Birdhill, Co Tipperary, claimed the award for Ireland’s Tidiest Village, while Listowel, Co Kerry, received the award for Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town for the second year and Ennis, Co Clare won the award for Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre. Skerries also received the award for Ireland’s Tidiest Large Town.
Officiating at the ceremony, Michael Ring, Minister for Regional Development, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Skerries; a really worthy winner. This is the first time Skerries has won the overall prize. Skerries first entered the competition in 1959 and their win today is evidence of their consistently achieving high standards in the competition at local and regional level. This much sought after award is recognition of a town that embraces all aspects of the SuperValu TidyTowns Competition, builds strong community links and has grown each year in the competition. So my congratulations to Skerries and all of the other deserving prize-winners announced today.” 
Minister Ring praised the ‘enthusiasm of all those involved in the TidyTowns effort’.
He observed: “How a community lives together, strives to involve all of its members and makes the most of their abilities and interests is integral to the ethos of TidyTowns.”
“TidyTowns is one of the most recognisable environmental initiatives in Ireland, but TidyTowns is much bigger than that, it encompasses a way of life here in Ireland, where we live our lives showing respect for our neighbours and for nature.  It is clear that working together and getting things done increases peoples’ pride in where they live and helps to build vibrant communities.  This is why I am delighted to see this competition continues to sustain great interest, even after 58 years,” he continued.
He said that SuperValu has been ‘integral to sustaining and developing the competition, not only through their financial sponsorship but also through the support provided to local TidyTowns groups by their network of local retailers’.  
The TidyTowns competition is organised by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and sponsored by SuperValu. The TidyTowns competition has been sponsored by SuperValu since 1992.

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