merrion street

This year’s TidyTowns competition is more competitive than ever with a record number of entries received. Volunteers in communities throughout the country have been busy improving their towns, villages and local environment and will be eagerly anticipating the announcement of the TidyTowns winners at the National awards ceremony on 5 September, in the Helix theatre in Dublin.

Interest in the TidyTowns competition has been stronger than ever in recent times and the number of entries has been growing year on year. This year communities were encouraged to "Get Your Hands Dirty for TidyTowns" in a promotional campaign by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and SuperValu who sponsor the competition. The response to this call has been overwhelming with a record 821 communities entering the competition - an increase from 764 entries last year.

Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government welcomed the growing interest in TidyTowns: "The TidyTowns competition has been a positive in Irish life for more than 50 years. I’m delighted that it continues to flourish and that interest in the competition has grown again this year. It is heartening to see so many communities who have responded to these challenging times by pulling together, getting out there and getting things done.".

Mr. Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu added: "The phenomenal number of entries to this year’s TidyTowns competition demonstrates that despite the difficulties we are facing, people up and down the country are dedicated to making their local communities a better place. For us there is no better way of demonstrating our commitment to helping build vibrant local communities than this sponsorship. TidyTowns is a real example of the benefits that volunteering, hard work and perseverance can bring to a local community".

The National TidyTowns competition is organised by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Supervalu have been proud sponsors of the competition for the past 20 years and have supported the development of the competition during that time through their network of 192 stores around the country. Further details of the TidyTowns competition can be obtained from the TidyTowns Unit in the Department – Phone (053-9117347) or by visiting www.tidytowns.ie or www.supervalu.ie.