Tidy Towns Results Announced
We don’t often get a “HOLD THE FRONT PAGE” moment here in Rush Community News, but just as we were about to go to press, the results of this year’s Tidy Towns competition were announced in the Helix. Last year, Rush scored 278 points, and a third place finish, behind Blackrock (283) and Howth (281) That was an improvement on our results in 2017 (270 points and 10th in category), so hopes were high that the hard work of the Tidy Towns committee and their volunteers would be recognised by the judges this year. As the song goes, “inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow”, and that’s how it was for Rush this year, adding 8 points to last year’s tally, for a very respectable score of 286. This left us in a mid-table position in our category, three places behind Lusk, which scored 316 in Category E (Large Town, population 5,001 to 10,000)
points. The category winners, Dalkey, got a very impressive 336 points, highlighting the fact that we still have some way to go . Congratulations are due to our neighbours in Skerries, who won their section with a magnificent 338 points. Rush competes in Category E, which is for towns with a population between 5,001 and 10,000 while Skerries is in Cateogry F, for towns with between 10,001 and 15,000 people. If our population continues to grow, it won’t be long before we are in the same
over the 61 years the competition has been running, and it is no longer just a competition for the “prettiest” town. It is not enough to just slap flowers up all over the town in the weeks before the judges are expected to arrive, and to have some twee features dotted around the place. The emphasis now is on creating a “sense of place”, for those who live, work, and raise families in the towns. There is also a move to promote biodiversity and sustainability, with bee hotels, careful use of environmentally friendly materials, and the encouragement of native flora and fauna. Success in Tidy Towns is very much a team effort, and the “team” is everyone in the town,
group as Skerries, Shankill, Clondalkin and Ballyboden.
Over the coming weeks, the Tidy Towns Committee will be carefully analysing the judges evaluation, to see where we picked up marks, and just as importantly, were we still have room for improvement.
not just the hard working volunteers in the actual committee.
Tidy Towns has shifted emphasis
If you would like to help with Rush Tidy Towns, visit us on Facebook, call 086-8145177 or email us at tidytownsrush@gmail.com Volunteers are always welcome.
OOOPS ! Apologies to anyone who turned up for the beach clean on 8th September, which was the date we sent to the Rush Comm. News. We had to change the date to 22nd September after the magazine had already been sent out.
Grateful thanks are due to two local heros, who work quietly but efficiently in the background. Ger Redden does much work all year round to keep St. Maurs and Kenure Park area clean, tidy and to a high standard.
A debt of gratitude is also extended to P.J. O’Hara for all he does to keep St. Maurs and the Cricket Wall to such a high standard. Well done guys, your work is really appreciated.
Coming to a road near you very soon. The depiction of the Yew tree was painted by local artist Carl Jones. The signs are generously sponsored by Progressive Credit Union.
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