Gormley Launches New Tidy Towns Challenge

Last Thursday, John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and Donal Horgan, Managing Director of SuperValu officially announced details of the 2009 National TidyTowns Competition.

The competition, which is one of the worlds longest running environmental initiatives, is now in its 51st year and continues to evolve to meet a changing Ireland.

This year, for the first time, a special Climate Change award is being included in the structure of the competition.

The aim of the award is to facilitate community groups to investigate their carbon footprint and use this to raise awareness of the climate change issue at a local level.

It is also intended that the award will encourage groups to develop, enhance and exchange best practice for community group structures, models and management. The larger the number of initiatives and the more innovative they are, the better!

Speaking at the launch at the Custom House, Minister Gormley said "the 50th Anniversary of TidyTowns in 2008 saw unprecedented numbers entering the competition. There are eleven special competitions (sponsors include Repak) being run in conjunction with the main competition and the introduction of a Climate Change category this year ensures that the National TidyTowns Competition continues to evolve and is to the fore in addressing key environmental issues."

Donal Horgan, the Managing Director of SuperValu added, "At SuperValu we pride ourselves on being at the heart of local communities.

"Our local store owners are uniquely positioned to build these areas into vibrant communities through active support of sponsorships such as Tidy Towns.

"We are proud to have supported Tidy Towns for the past 18 years and were particularly proud to have celebrated the competitions' 50th anniversary last year."