Published on 

Gold and Silver for Ireland in the prestigious European Entente Florale Competition

Tullamore wins Gold and Straffan wins Silver!

As Tullamore recovers from a very successful Ploughing Championships, it has added another feather to its cap; a Gold Medal Award in the European Entente Florale Competition.  Straffan, can proudly boast a Silver Medal in the same competition.  The Minister for the Regional Development Mr. Michael Ring, T.D. today congratulated both Tullamore and Straffan. 

 

The Minister said that both Tullamore and Straffan should be immensely proud of their achievement. Residents and business people came out in force on the days of adjudication to show the best their towns have to offer.  The judges acknowledged the fantastic community spirit unique to Ireland in this competition.  Both Offaly and Kildare Local Authorities were very generous in their support for both towns and Minister Ring thanked them for their support. 

 

The results of the European Entente Florale competition were announced at a special awards ceremony in Brno, Czech Republic on Friday 23rd September. Much to the delight of both the Tullamore and Straffan contingents present at the ceremony, they were awarded the prestigious gold and silver medals.  This fantastic achievement comes just days before the results of the SuperValu TidyTowns are announced.

 

Eight European countries participated in the competition, with Irish towns once again performing very well against their European counterparts. The candidates are generally chosen from among the top performers in the relevant categories in national competitions. The competition is judged on all aspects of the towns and villages under inspection, from the quality of road surfaces to the colour schemes of houses and from the planting of open spaces to the standard of public amenities.

 

Entente Florale, with its special emphasis on the improvement of the quality of life for urban and rural communities in an environmentally sensitive way, echoes the philosophy in Ireland’s own SuperValu Tidy Towns Competition. 

 

For more information on Entente Florale visit http://www.entente-florale.eu/