St. Mary's Green Flag Ceremony

The Tidy Towns Committee was delighted to be invited to attend the St. Mary's Green Flag Ceremony.

Our chairperson Colin Castle spoke to the students about what we do in the Tidy Town Committee and commended their excellent effort in achieving their first Green Flag. He also demonstrated litter picking with our 'Litter Bug'

Moonteen Viewing platform

Our viewing platform project at Moonteen is complete so head up the hill and check it out. This project was funded by the Committee and the Kilkenny County Council Amenity Grant. Construction was carried out by Thomastown FAS Community workers.

The lookout highlights three important heritage buildings in Thomastown including; Sweetman's/Mullin's Castle, Grennan Castle, and the Thomple.

Congratulations to Castle Avenue Residents Committee!

Our committee would like to congratulate the hard working residents of Castle Avenue on the formation of their new residents committee. They have 12 members including:

Chair: Liam Burke.
Vice Chairman: Frank Begley.
Secretary: Ann Maria Hogan
Assistant Secretary: Marian Cuddihy
Treasurer : Eileen Higginbotham
Assistant Treasurer : Statia Heafy

Thus far they have campaigned to have the playground rumble cleaned up and they have started on the footpaths and putting in water meters. The plan for October is to clean up the car parking areas.

We all agree that this is great progress from a new established committee. Keep up the great work!

2011 competition results are in!

"Visiting the central town area of Thomastown is a delightful experience. There is colour, vitality, a modern day atmosphere in a built environment that hails from any time over the past two centuries and then some."


The results of the 2011 Tidy Towns Competition are in! Thomastown received 245/400 marks overall, an 8 mark improvement over last year. Our biggest jump in marks was in the 'Overall Development Approach' category. This is a critical aspect of the committee because
it helps us to identify, layout, and communicate our aspirations and plans for all future and on-going projects. Colin Castle is to thank for all his dedication as the Chairperson in keeping the committee organized and on top of things.


Quote from the Adjudicator:


"One is very impressed by the organisation of you committee and by the structures you have laid down. The commitment of that committee is obvious from the amount of in-service they have participated in during the year ... Your desire to link up with other community groups should add to your effectiveness as a working body. Well done on your variety of methods of fund-raising. Keeping your community informed is very important and is being done. Gaining direct access to the schools is regarded as a vital part of the working of each committee. Waste minimisation is an ideal section for co-operation as are the litter awareness and wildlife elements of the competition. Your submission gives the impression of a group that is organised, is prioritising, is realistic in its expectations."


The complete report is available at: http://www.tidytowns.ie/u_reports/2011/2011%20County%20Kilkenny%20Thomastown%20908.pdf

New project at Low Street Alcove

This alcove near the public toilets used to be a place where rubbish collected. Now we've cleaned it up and its starting to present a more attractive appearance. This is a work in progress and all ideas are welcome. Send your suggestions to thomastowntidytowns@gmail.com or through our facebook page.

Disappointed but not discouraged

The committee was saddened to see the vandalism that occurred on the night of July 1 st. The paving around the bench at the top of market street was wrecked and the lovely flower pot outside of the Blackberry was overturned, among other things. We hope this is a one-off occurrence and we are pleased with the quick response of the Gardi in dealing with the matter. The committee continues to march on with numerous projects throughout the town which includes involvement with residents committees, tree and flower planting, promoting Thomastown's built heritage, reducing litter, and increasing biodiversity.

Tidy Towns at Happy Valley Festival Market

The fantastic Happy Valley Festival took place in Thomastown over the June bank holiday weekend and the Tidy Towns Committee was there. We set up an information display board showing some of the great work that the committee has done over the past few years and also had a suggestion box to get ideas from residents for new projects. Thanks to the Kilkenny County Council we had pencils, car litter bins, and various information pamphlets to hand out. Lastly, a free seed planting activity was offered to children who had loads of fun getting their hands dirty! Congratulations to the festival organizers on a very successful event! http://www.happyvalleyfestival.com/wordpress/

Flower Planting around Thomastown

Thomastown has received a burst a colour! The Ladywell flower bed pictured above is just one of the many areas that we have been busy weeding and landscaping. Everyone is welcome to take part in the beautification of Thomastown. We are extremely grateful to all the residents who help with watering the flower beds and keep an eye on things.

Judging for the 2011 Tidy Towns Competition starts on 1 June. All efforts to keep Thomastown looking its best is much appreciated!

Congratulations to St. Mary's Primary School!

The Thomastown Tidy Towns Committee would like to congratulate St. Mary's Primary School on the award of their first green flag as part of the Green-Schools program! http://www.greenschoolsireland.org/. We are delighted to see so many staff and students who care about their environment. You are our future! Well done and best of luck in your following six steps! Stay tuned to St. Mary's progress by clicking on their link below.

Another successful spring clean!

We picked litter for about 80 minutes for 4 Saturdays in April and the total number of helpers, including Committee members and 9 Scouts was 42. Thank-you very much to everyone who came out to help!!! This year our bag count was 62, just underhalf of last year's total of 135 bags. Plus we were able to go further out than we have in past years which is a good sign because it shows that people are littering less.

We're not out of the woods yet though. The judges will be coming through starting on June 1st so everyone make sure to keep up the good work in keeping our town tidy!

Do you have old batteries or broken electrical appliances laying around?

Free electrical and battery drop off in Thomastown at the Quay Carpark on Saturday 30th April 2011, 10am - 4pm. See poster for details.

Spring has Sprung

Spring has Sprung and its time for the Spring tidy up - details to follow....

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2011

Credit Union Building

Thomastown

County Kilkenny

Telephone: 0872186309

7 February 2011

NOTICE OF MEETING

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THOMASTOWN TIDY TOWNS COMMITTEE WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE SALMON POOL LOUNGE, MILL STREET, THOMASTOWN AT 7.30PM ON MONDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2011

AGENDA

1. WELCOME, INTODUCTION OF MEMBERS AND OPENING ADDRESS

2. APOLOGIES

3. GUEST SPEAKER (ALISON McGRATH)

4. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING (AS APPLICABLE)

5. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

6. TREASURER’S REPORT

7. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS (NOT OFFICE BEARERS)

8. RATIFICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

9. ITEMS SUBMITTED BY RESIDENTS FOR INCLUSION BY 21 FEBRUARY

Benches along the bank of the Nore

Two additional benches along the bank of the Nore just beyond Mullins Castle have now been completed together with solid footings in front and to the side of all five benches.

Moonteen Viewing and Picnic Area

The picnic tables and benches with wheelchair friendly ramps have been completed and are now available for use. A new sign post indicating the direction to this site is at the town end of the Dangan foot bridge.

The undergrowth outside the fence line has been cut back to allow a good clear view of the River Nore, up and downstream of the Quay.

Low Street Alcove

There is a small alcove next to the Ladies Toilet in Low Street that we are anxious to 'pretty up'. We would appreciate any suggestions from Residents before the end of February this year. Our email address is Thomastowntidytowns@gmail.com or you can phone Colin on 0872186309. A photo of the alcove is shown above.