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Mr. Michael Ring, TD, Minister for Regional Economic Development, met with SuperValu retailer Noel Kavanagh in Westport today along with representatives of the TidyTowns committee and other Mayo SuperValu retailers to mark the news that SuperValu will sponsor the TidyTowns Competition from 2017 to 2021.

Speaking in Westport today Minister Ring said “I am delighted to confirm that my Department and SuperValu will continue to work together to develop the competition over the next 5 years. SuperValu has been the sole sponsor of this competition for the past 25 years and without their support the competition would not be as successful as it is. Together we have a shared vision to build on the strengths of the SuperValu TidyTowns competition and to ensure that it continues to grow and be relevant. This competition has been running for almost 60 years and is stitched into the fabric of so many communities in Ireland and those communities benefit from the tireless work of the TidyTowns committees and volunteers.

Given SuperValu’s strong emphasis on working closely with the communities in which they do business and their impressive record in reducing their environmental impact, I think they are an excellent fit for this competition. As well as support for the competition from their head office, SuperValu retailers all over the country get involved with TidyTowns in many ways; whether hosting committee meetings or promotional events, providing hi viz vests or actively being involved on their committee, they and their families are available to help the committee in any way they can. I encourage all committees to contact their closest SuperValu retailer to see how they can offer support.

Volunteering is at the heart of what each TidyTowns committee does and volunteering within your own community, for the benefit of your community, helps to strengthen ties and develop a sense of place, a place where people belong. As we look to the 60th Anniversary of the competition in 2018, I am happy that its future is bright.”


Noel Kavanagh, owner of SuperValu Westport, added “Speaking on behalf of SuperValu retailers across the country, we are delighted to have been give the opportunity to build upon our 25 year association with the TidyTowns competition and we look forward to helping to build upon its success to date by increasing its popularity into the future.”

“We are heavily involved with the Westport TidyTowns committee, with our store manager Liam Campion having served as an active member of the local committee since 1998, and all of our colleagues participating in large clean-ups, like other SuperValu stores across the country. So we have been part of the ongoing success that Westport has had in the competition, having won the overall title three times and only missing out by two points this year. We had great success this year winning the county award, a regional award and a national award for the Edible Landscape, as well as retaining our gold medal.”

“In fact Mayo as a county continued to have great success with the TidyTowns competition this year, with Belmullet, Murrisk, Ballina and Carracastle among the award recipients. As a company, SuperValu wants to make the towns and villages we live in, better and healthier places for everyone. We see the positive impact that TidyTowns volunteers have first-hand every day and are honoured to be in a position whereby we can celebrate these achievements each year.”


Note to Editor:

The SuperValu TidyTowns competition has been running since 1958 and is organised by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. It was devised by Fáilte Ireland as a tourism initiative but has developed to focus on how people live in their communities, for today and into the future. The competition has been sponsored by SuperValu since 1992. Interest in the SuperValu TidyTowns competition has been stronger than ever in recent years, with 859 communities entering the competition in 2016.

Following a targeted invitation to over 38 companies and a number of sponsorship agencies in Ireland, SuperValu has been chosen as the successful candidate to sponsor the TidyTowns Competition from 2017 to 2021.

Together with its retail partners, SuperValu has 222 stores nationwide and employs approximately 14,500 colleagues. As SuperValu retailers both live and work in the communities in which they operate, they are heavily involved in local causes and contribute over €2.5 million annually to local initiatives.