TidyTowns Results 2012 - Department of Environment and Local ...

irELANd’S TidiEST TOwN
wiNNEr’S rEPOrT
Abbeyshrule, Co. Longford
Overall development Approach:
Your adjudicator is pleased to welcome Abbeyshrule
Tidy Villages to the SuperValu National TidyTowns
Competition 2012. Thank you for your entry form
and accompanying appendices. Your submission is
comprehensive and straight off tells the adjudicator of
your commitment to doing well in this competition.
You have maintained a detailed record of your work
since your last adjudication and the list of projects
completed is comprehensive. The size of your
committee, 26 members, is very impressive and
it is encouraging to read that you enjoy excellent
voluntary cooperation from the wider community.
Indeed this was evident during our adjudication visit.
We like that you identify the skills and expertise of
your volunteers each year and assign tasks accordingly
and we were interested to read the various skills that
your committee and volunteers have identified and
honed. You are accomplished at collaborating and
working with various organisations/agencies, both
locally and nationally, and this has been demonstrated
by your ability to source funding and support for your
work programmes. You are very active all year round
and recognise the huge level of action required in
each category to compete at such a high level in the
competition. You are very organised and competent
at communicating with the local community and
you do so by a large variety of mediums. We visited
your website which is very informative and up-todate
and particularly liked your tagline ‘Creating a
Sustainable Village Community.’ As a first time visitor
to Abbeyshrule the commitment you show to the
presentation of your village is evident at every turn.
This adjudicator feels that you have drawn on the great
ethos of voluntary endeavour for this competition
and the widespread community spirit and used it
as a platform to initiate real change at a local level.
We are very impressed. To progress that extra bit
have you considered establishing a Junior TidyTowns
Committee?
The Built Environment:
This year you have had the majority of your existing
timber lighting poles replaced by decorative black
lighting standards complete with energy efficient
bulbs, which further enhance the village core. The
roof of the Waterways building has been repaired
and we noted that you had enhanced three windows
of the old furniture factory with old reproduction
photographs relevant to the area. The adjudicator
thought that the wall at the village pump would benefit
from painting but surprisingly when we were finishing
up our adjudication visit, three people were setting
up to begin painting here! You have painted the
uninhabited house at the aqueduct with the assistance
of Waterways Ireland. Roney’s Inn was being painted
during our visit; the new colour choice tones in well
with the surrounding buildings in this vicinity and
enhances the appearance of the property immensely.
As always, the Rustic Inn was well presented. We
noted that a small section near the corner at Scally’s
Bridge was in need of repair. We like your plans for
an integrated playground at the canal harbour and
are pleased that you have begun working on the
accessibility issue to the Abbey.
Landscaping:
In general terms the landscaping is to a very high
standard throughout and it is no surprise to learn
that you are also participating in the Entente Florale
Competition this year. The adjudicator was very
impressed with the Whitworth Aqueduct on the Royal
Canal and the area around here is well landscaped.
Your tree tagging is quite unusual! We wondered if
you use this as a management tool and record details
such as, when your trees were planted, species
etc. The Green area across from the Rustic Inn is a
relaxing haven. We noted that work is ongoing beside
the village pump; a small area was cordoned off
during our visit. We were unaware as to what is being
undertaken in this area as this was not mentioned in
your application.
21