The winning formula that made Ballincollig Ireland’s tidiest town

15/11/2024

Ballincollig’s 80 Tidy Towns volunteers may be spotted litter picking in branded high-vis jackets seven days a week but committee chair, Tom Butler is adamant their recent success at the annual national event is powered by values that extend beyond a solid work ethic.

“ I’ve been asked to talk to Tidy Towns in Togher, Douglas, Ballinora /Waterfall,  Bishopstown, Blackpool,  Macroom and Aherla. And when I do, I tell people it’s down to perseverance, our pride in the village as well as the inclusive and apolitical nature of our organisation. You must have pride in the area to do this. There is no gain for us but pride,” he says.

“We’ve seen our village transform in recent decades but there is a still the sense of the village, that friendly feel and Tidy Towns is a big part of that. We have 70 or 80 nationalities living in Ballincollig and we are delighted to see many volunteering with us. There’s a real inclusivity here and that began from the local parish. And then there’s the Transition Year students from the local secondary schools who are working on their Gaisce Awards. They turn up unable to use a brush or a shovel and end up really understanding why we do this and loving it. I tell them last Saturday that they have planted these bulbs today and will see them flowering for years to come and you can be very proud of your work’. Some have stayed on with us which is brilliant to see,” he says.

These days, the Super Valu Tidy Towns awards is about far more than competitive hanging baskets and floral displays. The Tidy Towns movement represents the second biggest volunteer movement in the country after the GAA with nearly 30,000 volunteers enhancing suburbs, towns and villages across the country. It is also widely recognised as being at the forefront of climate action and sustainable development at community level.

Ballincollig’s first tidy towns committee was set up in 1965 “and kept chipping at the iceberg” steadily increasing their marks each year until out of 904 entries this year, they scooped the big prize, the much-coveted Tidiest Town in Ireland. Last year, they were awarded Ireland’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre and the SuperValu National Tidy Towns Gold Medal Winner. This year, Ballincollig also picked up its twelfth Gold Medal, The County Award, The Regional Award and was deemed winner of The Large Urban Centre Category.

Ballyphehane Tidy Towns also picked up the  national ‘Young Persons in Tidy Towns Award’ this year  after only two years entering  the competition, Douglas Tidy Towns retained their Bronze medal and Mahon Tidy Towns are continuing to increase their scores. Tom describes Ballyphehane Tidy Towns as “as doing amazing work” and his own crew as “more like a family” than a voluntary organisation.

“There’s a great camaraderie and we are all there for each other in good times and the sad times.  On Sunday morning, we go to the ‘Plaza’ after our litter pick where €2 gets us all coffee and a treat. For many people, that sit down is more important than the litter pick up itself. Then, we do Christmas get together and we have a summer mystery tour, we’ve helped out people during lockdown and join in all the celebrations in the town,” he added.

“Some tidy towns committees stop from September to April when there’s no judging to prepare for but we are going all the time 52 Weeks. It’s winter bedding time now and there’s lots of leaves being collected as they are a real falls risk for people. We’re also bringing in, washing and sterilising planters, packing them up for Spring planting”.

Some of the sustainability measures undertaken by Ballincollig Tidy Towns

1. Composting: Fallen leaves gathered by Cork City Council waste management crews and Tidy Towns volunteers are bagged and left to rot in ‘Bay 1’ near the allotment. Once they have decomposed to a certain point, they are moved to ‘Bay 2’ where they are left for another 2/3 years to create ‘the best of compost’ which is used by volunteers in planters, bedding and by the allotment gardeners.
2. Rain harvesting: Up to 18,000 litres of rainwater is harvested off the roof of Scoil Barra Primary School.
3. Reviving dying flowers: The tidy towns volunteers also operate an ‘intensive care unit’ for end of life plants at the local Tesco. Supermarket management ring when there are wilting plants that can’t be sold. The volunteers revive them in the polytunnel also known as ICU before planting them around the town or at the local older persons centre, the Westgate Foundation.