Hi everyone, 

Welcome to our August issue of the  

SuperValu TidyTowns Newsletter. Month  

eight, where has the year gone to? It is  

hard to believe, the evenings are pulling in,  

Adjudication is complete and the results  

are in, but sadly you will have to wait a little  

while more to find out how you did. 

The weather is still nice and while the  

evenings are pulling in a little, there is still  

plenty time to enjoy what summer 22 has  

yet to offer, so get out there and enjoy the  

fruits of your labour.  

Our Adjudicators were well impressed with  

the quality of work presented this year so  

you never cease to impress with the  

innovative and creative projects that you  

work on to improve our country for all who  

live here and for our many many visitors. 

It has been quiet in the “news room” this month so we don’t have a whole lot for you  but what we have, is still worth reading, so pop the kettle on, sit back and engage with  the wider TidyTowns family and see what’s happening out there. 

As always we want to hear from you, this is your newsletter and we would love to hear  from you all now that the pressure of the adjudication has passed, share with us what  your key project was this year, perhaps you did something different, a few images  even, as they say a picture speaks a thousand words. Keep the poems and stories  coming in, we love to hear how creative you all are. 

We wish you all the best for the coming months and in these days in particular we  wish our junior TidyTowns members well as they return to school, some starting national school, a big day, some starting secondary school a similarly big day and  some preparing to get results, good luck and best of luck for the road ahead, be it  college, travelling or working, remember to give an hour or two back to your local  TidyTowns group whenever you can. They would love to have you on their team.

Climate Change in Rural Ireland:  

Older People’s Perspectives  

Are you aged over 55 years? 

From a rural or agricultural background? 

Maynooth University and Age Friendly Ireland Research Manager would like to hear  your thoughts of climate change on older people in rural Ireland 

If interested in taking part, please contact Adrienne at: 

Adrienne.mccann@mu.iefor further information  

Or 

You can complete the survey here: 

https://maynoothuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/climate-change-in-rural-ireland 

We would encourage you to engage with this survey and share your thoughts on  climate change and how proposed changes may impact life as we know it in rural  Ireland.

Public Consultation on Digital Public Services 

Have your say! 

Our colleagues in the  

Department of Public  

Expenditure and  

Reform are conducting  

a survey on Digital  

Public Services in  

Ireland and they would  

welcome the thoughts 

of members of  

TidyTowns groups and  

volunteers. 

They are looking for your help on how we can improve Irish public services by making  it easier for you to use public services digitally. 

• Do you have ideas for improving public services as we put them online?  • Are there reasons you don’t use public services online?  • Are there public services you think should be available online? • If so, then this consultation is for you! 

Rather than making assumptions about your experiences and preferences, this  consultation aims to understand what your priorities are in terms of what services  should be put online first and what features, supports or assistance you would like to  make digital public services easier and more efficient to use. We want to hear your  views on how you access and engage with public services - these can include  services that are already available in person at an office, online, by paper-based  application, over the phone, etc. 

The questions will take 10 - 15 minutes to answer.  

The consultation is now open and due to close at the end of September 2022. Click on the following link to access the survey; 

https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/CG2030Survey1 

Ta Leagan Gaeilge ar fáil anseo 

https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/CG2030Survey1?surveylanguage=GA 

Here again we would encourage as many of you as possible to engage with this  survey. It is only when we get everyone’s opinions and concerns that we can do our  best to ensure that any changes are done in a way that assist you and cause minimum  disruption to how you engage with public services.

TidyTowns Volunteers 

In an age where we have so many  

devices and gadgets that save us time  

and get jobs done in super-efficient  

times, we seem to be short on time 

itself, we are always in a hurry and  

always have so much to do, such is  

life. 

It is therefore a wonderful gesture  

when people offer to give freely of their time and their skills and volunteer with a  community group and hopefully, in our case with a TidyTowns group. 

We are all different and don’t they say ‘it would be a boring world if we were all the  same’, but different we are, some are good at front of house and keeping all in order  while others are happy to work away in the background and get the work that needs  to be done, done. 

Each one of us, bring with us a set of skills that are equally valuable, in any TidyTowns  group up or down the country, we have people who have as they say “green fingers”  thank god for them, we have people who are a dab hand with a paint brush, we have  the heavy lifters who can clear a piece of waste ground in jig time and what about the  litter pickers, the dawn raiders who have the place looking spic and span while some  of us are just turning on the kettle and popping down the toaster, still sleepy. 

The fundraisers, the bakers, the organisers, each and everyone plays their part, and  for that part we should all be grateful. These people are giving of their time, which as  we said we all don’t seem to have enough of, but they do it, they give of their skills,  their advice, their life experience, and it should be acknowledged and applauded. 

We are sure, that is indeed the case, but sometimes it might be no harm just to say it,  tell your volunteers, what they mean to your group, give them that sense of  appreciation and belonging that it is only when we all put our shoulder to the wheel  that the cart begins to move. 

So here’s to our volunteers, the thousands and thousands of men, women and  children who over the last 64 years have felt they have something to offer and rather  than sitting on the fence, they jumped down and made that offer and we are very  thankful that they did. 

882 towns and villages entered the competition this year, we have over 1,000 active  TidyTowns groups covering every part of the country, each one working away on  different projects but all with that linking thread of making their place a better place,  we can do some on our own but look as what we can do together, keep the flag flying  and let your volunteers know they are welcome, they are needed and they are valued.

Poets Corner 

Kates Cottage and Garden 

Oh how I wish I could go back in time, the memory of my childhood to live those glory  days when I didn’t have a care or a pain. Kates little house and garden has never left  my mind.  

The house was very small with lairs of whitewash on the front wall. Laden down with  a heavy golden thatch roof a small little chimney but most of the smoke came out the  brown half door. I think the chimney was for the jackdaws to hatch in. There was a  small window where her daughter used to put on her makeup. The inside was very  dark with little in the way of furniture, just a couple of enamel mugs and a few other  bits and pieces. 

Kate herself was a tall woman with a grey bun on the back of her head. She always  wore black long clothes and lace boots. She was very cross so I was always afraid of  her. But the pride she took in her little house and garden was something else. Now  the memory of the garden. 

There was a little back gate on the way in and when you got inside it exploded with  colour and fragrance. The clumps of pansies with funny faces looking up at you, the  white carnations with a heavenly scent took you to another world. Then there were  the big red peonies propped with an older brambles while lupins, foxgloves and  delphiniums stood so proudly like kings and queens in this lovely oasis of beauty.  

But there is much more, I remember the big sticks of rhubarb, currants and big golden  gooseberries that I ate until I was sick or had a pain in my tummy and you know the  result of tummy ache. Then there was the big red and yellow broom that flowered in  May and if you were an insect you would need to book a place on this shrub,  biodiversity then wasn’t talked about, but can I say this little bit of ground had it all.  The Hedge all around it was privet a haven for all kind of birds to nest and hide in. A  little patch of wild grass left untouched and field mice and frogs hopped and played in  the warm summer sunshine. 

Oh today we talk about saving the planet, well this beautiful garden of my memory  was biodiversity at its best, while Kate and her daughter lived such a simple life may  heaven give them peace. The house and garden are now just a memory, while I  struggle to keep alive with medication by my side, for me those memories are a  treasure and locked away in my head forever. 

Denis Heffernan  

August 2022 

Delighted as always to hear form our resident poet and story teller Denis Heffernan,  thank you as always Denis for bringing us to such wonderful places in our mind as we  read your penmanship. Sending our best wishes to you.

SuperValu TidyTowns 2022 

Awards Ceremony 

The competition results will be announced in later October, the event will be held in  the RDS in Dublin, we are still looking through the results which have only come to us  in the last few days so we will be working on numbers that we can invite, more  information will be in the upcoming issues of the newsletter. We hope to see as many  of you there as we can. 

Shortly after the awards ceremony we will be commencing the distribution of well earned prizes, most of which consist of a cash prize. As advised previously, recent  changes in Revenue guidelines require that all groups receiving funds need to provide  a tax registration number. We appreciate this is an additional piece of work but one  that is relatively easy to complete and once it’s done, it’s done.  

Could we ask you all to give some consideration to this as any grant schemes that  your groups may apply for going forward will most likely be governed by the same  requirements. Your local Revenue Office will be able to assist you further if you have  any questions on how to go about obtaining a tax reference number if you are a  voluntary group. 

We are hoping to return to having regional awards ceremonies again this year, we will  do our very best to get some of these organised before the end of the year but some  may run into January, we will keep you all updated on developments as they become  clearer but again, it will be wonderful to get back out to the regions and see the groups  engaging and celebrating together. We have missed you all. 

Medal Holders 

This year we changed our medal holder to a more sustainable version. We  still have a small number of the original holders, if any of you had one of  these that perhaps got damaged or broken and you would like a  replacement, please let us know and we can send one on to you. 

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSuperValuTidyTowns 

https://twitter.com/TidyTownsIre  

https://www.tidytowns.ie 

Minister Humphreys publishes 2021 Annual  

Report from Department of Rural and  

Community Development 

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has recently  published the Department of Rural and Community Development’s Annual Report for 2021.  The report provides a comprehensive overview of the wide range of policies, programmes  and initiatives developed and delivered by the Department in 2021. Some key points from  within the report include: 

• The Department oversaw spending of more than €344 million in 2021. • €169 million was invested in the Rural Development Investment Programme, including  the LEADER Programme, Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Local Improvement  Scheme, the Outdoor Recreation Scheme and the CLÁR Programme. • €171 million was provided to communities through programmes including the Social  Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), the Community Services  Programme, the Seniors Alert Scheme, libraries development and other supports for the  Community and Voluntary sector. 

• The COVID-19 Stability Fund supported by Dormant Accounts Funds enabled critical  services to be delivered to vulnerable groups during the pandemic with funding of €7 million.  • The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund continued in 2021 with funding of  €84.5 million approved for 25 projects.  

• Our Rural Future, the Government’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 was  published in March 2021. The policy provides a blueprint for the sustainable development  and investment in rural Ireland over five years to 2025. 

• 40,897 passenger ferry sailings carrying 407,051 passengers to our off-shore islands.  Cargo services carried over 38,000 tonnes of materials in the same period.  • Continued implementation of the National Social Enterprise Policy and the five-year  strategy to support the community and voluntary sector in Ireland (Sustainable, Inclusive  and Empowered Communities).  

Welcoming the publication of the annual report, Minister Humphreys said: 

“Throughout the Pandemic, the critical work of my Department helped to support  communities’ right across the country, ensuring that vital services continued to be delivered  to vulnerable groups. I am proud to see the positive impacts the programmes and schemes  under my Department are having in towns and villages.”  

“I would like to thank my colleague, Minister of State Joe O’Brien, for his dedicated work  during 2021 and to also acknowledge the commitment and invaluable contributions of the  staff and management team in the Department, particularly during, what were very  challenging times. “This is one of the youngest Departments in Government. Yet, through  our various schemes and programmes, as well as our rural development policy ‘Our Rural  Future’, we are revitalising rural communities and making Rural Ireland a better place to live,  work and raise a family.” 

The Department’s Annual Report can be found by visiting; 

https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/91ae40-annual-reports/

SDG Week 

Take Part in SDG week 2022! 

Ireland’s first Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) week is taking place this year  from 20th – 26th September. It forms part of the wider European Sustainable  Development Week (ESDW) which last year saw 5,440 activities taking place across  28 countries. 

The SDGs belong to everyone and SDG week is open to all – individuals, groups,  schools and colleges, libraries, businesses and institutions. 

To take part, organize an event – however big or small – or highlight an activity or  project that promotes sustainable development and join the new annual week of  action for the SDGs. 

1. START NOW! 

Think about how you could promote sustainable development and plan an activity,  project or event to take place during SDG week 

2. REGISTER 

Upload your idea on the ESDW website: www.esdw.eu 

3. ACT! 

Organize and promote your initiative during 18 September – 8 October 2022!  Explore which events are taking place and participate in activities near you! 

For more information on sustainable development, SDG week and ideas for taking  part please see www.gov.ie/SDGs

Keep in Touch 

Well that bring sus the end of another edition of the Newsletter, we hope that you take  a few moments to engage with the surveys and consultations listed, give some  thought to SDG week, you can include these activities in your 2023 entry form, we are  always thinking ahead. 

We hope to run our photography competition again this year, we will be announcing  it next month, so while the buds are blooming and the sun is shining, get the camera  out and be ready to capture that all important image, it might bring in a Euro to help  with a project your group is currently working on. 

We will keep you updated on all things TidyTowns in the next few issues, we will have  updates on our national and regional awards ceremonies, updates on how our friends do in the Communities in Bloom and Entente Florale competitions, we once again  send them all our best wishes for the awards ceremonies in Hungary and Canada in  the coming months. 

We want to thank our main sponsor SuperValu for their ongoing support and all our special award sponsors for their support. Thanks also to our team of Adjudicators who  have been busy viewing all of your beautiful towns and villages. But most important  of all, we want to thank you the volunteers for all the work you have done and continue  to do in keeping our towns and villages looking their best and making them so inviting  especially at this time of year when we see an increase in national and international  visitors. 

If you have any questions, please drop us an email or give us a call, we are here to  help in any way we can. We hope you all enjoy the summer. 

Anne, Helen & John 

Department of Rural and Community Development  

Government Buildings 

Ballina 

Co Mayo F26 E8N6 

Email: tidytowns@drcd.gov.ie  

Tel: 01 – 773 6938 or 01 – 773 6912

Mid July already, how good it was to see the Mauritistown Steps opening up yesterday with the completion of some remedial works.  It makes access safer and more user friendly for all age groups.  This was a high priority of Tidy Towns, it is some 5 years since we completed a review and submitted proposals to Wexford Co Co, yes it has taken that time to have the improvements completed.  It has come about now because of the work of the current Cathaoirleach of Rosslare Municipal District, Cllr Lisa McDonald. We are very appreciative of the work done by Cllr.  McDonald , it is encouraging to see her interest and committment to Rosslare Strand and again she was instrumental in the launch of the Beach Wheelchair Mat, another positive initiative for Access for All. Thank You Cllr McDonald and we look forward to working with you.

   Spring / Summer 2022.

Friday 21st January 2022 provided the boost we all waited patiently for, let us hope that it does represent the start of new beginings.  For far too many families the past 2 years have brought the worst of times, the Irish Times stark headline confirming 6,087 Covid-19 deaths says it all and our thoughts go to the families, relatives & friends.

As we take stock of the current situation it is a good time to say Thanks again to everyone who has Volunteered with Tidy Towns also to everyone who has helped out financially & otherwise. 

Meanwhile we are delighted to report that through the good work of the Community Centre and its workforce a clean -up of the Village streets, car park and other areas is under way.

This involves clearing the weeds and overgrowth from the footpaths and bridges, sand and weed removal from the car park and other locations.

This is not easy work and it is very encouraging for our Volunteers to see that it is being done by the Community Centre , we welcome this co-operation and Community involvement.

It puts into practice our motto:

Ni neart go cur le cheile.

Thanks to Maria , Community Centre Manager and to the work-force. 

We are currently working on the various Planters, main road Beds, Borders etc so that we will have colour etc for later Spring and into the Summer. Other initiatives like improved seating around the Village will be having our attention.

We will, as always need the co-operation of the Residents , Holiday Home Owners, and Visitors.

Litter problems will require lots of effort and we have to continue to ask all dog owners to be particularly aware of Dog poo on Footpaths , on the Beach and indeed increasing amounts of full poo bags in the hedges and ditches.   Please be responsible and help reduce this awful problem.

More than anything we hope that positivity and more involvement will be to the fore after the dark days of Covid.  We still have to be careful and mindful of each others situations, as the Taoiseach said we need to be open with each other and supportive of each other.

We look forward to  good Spring / Summer Seasons.

The results of the 2021 SuperValu National Tidy Towns Competition were announced on Friday 12th November.

Total Entries were confirmed at 847, of which 30 were from County Wexford.

Rosslare Strand earned a total of 342 Points which is an increase of 11 points on the previous Competition in 2019.

Accordingly we were awarded a Silver Medal also we were placed 2nd in the County with a Highly Commended Award.

In our Category we were one of 4 Entrants who received a Silver Medal and this was out of a total of 847 Entries , this highlights our achievement and it means that we maintain our consistent high Ratings in the Competition.  We now have 5 Medal Awards since 2016.

www.rosslaretidytowns.com

Facebook: Rosslare Tidy Towns Volunteers.

Charities Reg. No. 20163846.  

e-mail:

tidytownsrosslare@gmail.com

Phone contact: 086-1257487. 

Bank Account Details:

Rosslare Tidy Towns Volunteers.

Account No.:  82626479

Sort Code    :  90-67-18

B I C            :  BOFIIE2D

I B A N         :  IE05 BOFI 9067 4282 6264 79

All  monies collected whether Donations, proceeds of Raffles etc are reinvested in the Community.   If you cannot Volunteer Please lend a little Financial Support.