Westport blooms in international competition

Westport blooms in international competition


Áine Ryan

WESTPORT’S ‘unique beauty’ and ‘wonderful community spirit’ has yet again ensured the heritage town’s place as a prizewinner in a prestigious competition.
In Canada at the weekend it received the maximum accolade of Five Blooms when the County Mayo tourist haven experienced the singular honour of representing the country in the prestigious international competition, Communities in Bloom, held in Vaughan, Toronto.
At the awards ceremony on Saturday morning last, Westport received special recognition for Community Effort For Tidiness and was shortlisted in the top three for the Worldwide Youth Involvement Award.
One of 63 entrants, Westport was selected to represent Ireland after it won the National Tidy Towns – for the third time – in 2008.   
Other entrants came from Japan, Australia, America, Canada, Scotland and England.
Speaking after the ceremony, Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, Cllr Myles Staunton observed: “The achievement of obtaining the maximum award in this internationally acclaimed competition highlights once again Westport’s ability to come together as a community to put our best foot forward, this time on the international stage. I would like to acknowledge the excellent contribution of the Tidy Towns Committee and all the other statutory and voluntary organisations in the town, without whom the award could not have been achieved.”
 Speaking on behalf of the Tidy Towns committee, Chairwoman Pamela Flanagan expressed her delight at achieving a result of 88.8 per cent, which placed the town in the maximum award category of Five Blooms.
“I am delighted that the judges have seen the unique beauty and have experienced the wonderful community spirit that exists in our town. This represents another exciting step in the journey of Westport Tidy Towns,” said Ms Flanagan.
Responding also, Town Manager, Peter Hynes said: “Success in international competitions is extremely valuable in raising the profile of Westport both nationally and internationally. The opportunities for networking and for future connections which they encompass are even more important in recessionary times.”     
On Saturday night last Cllr Myles Staunton also addressed the Gala Awards Banquet, attended by over 800 representatives of the communities. Along with Town Clerk, Ms Anne Moore he also held discussions with the Director of Economic and Technology Development of Vaughan City Council regarding potential future links with Westport.

What the judges said
IN their formal evaluation, the judges said that Westport is ‘a clean and inviting destination’ and ‘a popular tourist destination with rich visual appeal’.
They specifically cited Westport Town Council, the Tidy Towns Committee and all the residents.
“Westport is a small town that can punch above its weight,” they said.  Moreover, they
added that the town ‘was open to rising to new challenges’.