Wednesday next, 6 th of August will see the town judged in the All-Ireland Pride in Place competition. The town was invited by the County Council to represent Co. Monaghan in the Climate Change/Biodiversity category of the competition. The judges will arrive in the town shortly after lunch and will spend three hours around the town looking at various aspects of biodiversity. Unlike the National Tidy Town competition, the judges will be accompanied by Tidy Town Committee members who will have chosen a number of key areas which showcase the committee’s efforts at mitigating climate change and promoting biodiversity.
The visitors will be welcomed by the Tidy Town Committee at the Civic Centre where a presentation of the work of the committee will be shown to those present. Following that they will be taken on a tour of parts of the town, including a visit to new Eco Meadow which has seen a huge amount of work this year with the development of a very attractive pond and seating area, the addition of a
considerable number of trees and the wonderful wooden sculptures upcycled from a large beech tree felled during the January storm.
Next stop on the tour will be a trip along the Dundalk Road to highlight Lisanisk Lakeside Park where it will be pointed out that this was once the town dump but was rescued and turned into the current greenway/walkway as part of the European Entente Florale Competition in 1998.
The tour will then proceed up Farney Street where, weather permitting, the judges will dismount form their horse and carriage to walk the Main Street and take in the colourful floral displays. If you happen to be on the street on Wednesday afternoon
don’t be shy and say hello so the judges will also get a flavour of Carrick hospitality. A quick stop at the Market Square and a visit to the Lace Gallery and artisan bread shop will be followed by a stroll to the Community Allotments via Monaghan Street and the Castleblayney Road. The final outdoor visit will be to the new Sensory Garden at Cloughvalley before returning to the Civic Centre where a small number of local students and voluntary groups will showcase their involvement with Tidy Towns.
The local Tidy Town Committee in partnership with Monaghan County Council will put their best foot forward on the day and preparations are currently underway. Anyone who lives along the aforementioned route, particularly the Main Street, is asked to do a clean up of premises, footpaths and flower displays so that the town is looking its pristine best on the day. Support your local Tidy Town Committee as they look to bring Carrick further honours on the national stage.