Very often plaudits come in different guises and acknowledgement of achievement never goes to loss. Carrick has been invited to participate in the prestigious Best Kept Towns Competition which is an all Ireland affair. The top towns in the Republic and Northern Ireland go head to head in this competition. The Dept of Rural and Community Development has invited Carrick to represent towns in the 5000+ population section of the competition. The town was nominated based on its consistent performance in the Tidy Town competition and the achievement of ten successive gold medal awards. This in itself is a huge acknowledgement of Carricks efforts in making it one of the country’s most beautiful towns, a fact, perhaps, taken for granted by many.
The local Tidy Town Committee is calling for a mammoth effort from all sections of the community to ensure that the town puts in an excellent performance. Adjudication is in May, only eight weeks away. The committee is already beavering away at its plan but local businesses can help by having their premises painted and kept clean and adorned with well maintained flower displays; our schools can help by getting involved in the many environmental projects and green flag programmes; our local authority can help lead the charge with a huge commitment to support the efforts of the committee; our local residential areas can assist by keeping their own areas tidy and colourful. This is a whole community challenge and problems like litter and dog fouling need to be tackled on an individual level of responsibility.
There are seven sections in the competition
- Presentation of Buildings
- Appearance of Approach Roads, Streets and Public areas
- Presentation of Natural Environment
- Presentation of Immediate Residential Areas
- Tidiness
- Comprehensiveness
- General Impression.
“It’s a significant recognition of our towns achievements down the years to be chosen to represent the country in this category,” a local Tidy Town Spokesperson stated “ and it is going to require a huge effort form the community at large in a short space of time so we are calling on everyone in the town and surrounding areas to do their bit. Every little bit helps. The schools are already involved as the photos below show and we can take our led from them. Let’s make Carrick proud and put our best foot forward and show the country what we can achieve. Let’s do it”
