Money on way to help volunteers keep Laois tidy

Tidy Towns groups around Laois are to get a share of €33,000 to help them with their work next year.

A total of €1.4 million in funding was allocated in the past week to support Tidy Towns groups prepare for the 2023 SuperValu TidyTowns competition.

As part of the initiative, grants of between €1,000 and €4,000 is being provided to almost 900 groups right across the country. Groups who entered the SuperValu Tidy Towns competition in 2021 or 2022 will be eligible.

A total of €33,000 is on the way to Laois with the top grant going to Portlaoise.

The recipients are as follows:

• Attanagh €1,000
• Ballacolla €1,000
• Clough €1,000
• Emo €1,000
• Spink €1,000
• Pike of Rushall €1,000
• Cullohill €1,000
• Donaghmore €1,000
• Camross €1,000
• Killasmeestia €1,000
• Killeen €1,000
• Borris-in-Ossory €1,000
• Castletown €1,000
• Clonaslee €1,000
• Ballinakill €1,000
• Ballybrittas €1,000
• Mountrath €2,000
• Abbeyleix €2,000
• Durrow €2,000
• Stradbally €2,000
• Mountmellick €2,000
• Portarlington €3,000
• Portlaoise €4,000
• Laois Total €33,000

All eligible groups will be contacted before Christmas to confirm their funding. Applications for funding must be returned to Pobal no later than February 28th 2023. Late applications will not be accepted. All projects and initiatives funded through this support must be completed by 31 July 2023.

Laois Offaly based Minister of State Pippa Hackett welcomed confirmation of grants by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, 

“We mustn’t underestimate the value of our Tidy Towns groups in our fight against biodiversity decline: They are helping to create habitat and ecosystems through direct action and also do a large body of work, indirectly, by raising awareness of what is happening in our natural world. Add all of the small steps together and we build a pathway towards protection of our living heritage,” said the Green Party Senator.

The SuperValu TidyTowns competition has been in existence since 1958. It continues to grow and attract new entrants each year with 882 towns and villages entered the competition in 2022 when Trim in Co Meath was selected as Ireland’s Tidiest Town.