The Tidy Towns group needs more Tallaght Business Support

Al Porter joined Tidy Towns volunteers for a well-deserved break during a recent cleanup

TALLAGHT Community Council (TCC) has been the driving force behind the Tallaght Village Tidy Towns group since May 2023.

In one year, the positive impact in the village is clearly visible to everyone: less litter, less graffiti, more pride in place, more sense of place, more heritage, more greenery, more pollinators, more trees, more quality street art and a renewed focus to raise standards for the public domain in the village.

The Tallaght Village Tidy Towns group is preparing to take part in the national competition for the second time in May.

In the last 12 months they have held more than 150 rubbish collections, collecting more than 1,000 bags of litter. They have organized Tidy Towns events with eight local companies: AWS, Colm O’Cochlainn, Fanagans, Kingsbury Furniture, Partas, MRA Accountants, Civic Facilities and Zoetis.

A big thank you goes to Nollaig Ryan and Olivia Luc from Fanagans, who both demonstrate a clear and ongoing commitment by participating in the Wednesday Lunchtime Litter picks on an almost weekly basis.

Liz Kennedy, vice-chairman of TCC, said: “The village of Tallaght has over a hundred businesses including retail, professional services, pubs and eateries.

“We would like to see more companies get actively involved this summer.

“We can support them to organize a donation event for the staff community, or they can simply take part in the Wednesday Lunchtime Litter choices which last up to an hour.

“Businesses can also sign our Tidy Towns pledge and show clear leadership by taking good care of the exterior of their business premises.

“I would call on every business in the village of Tallaght to become an active supporter and take action this summer.

“Our call is for every business owner in town to show up, show you care and participate.”

She added: “Stand up behind the dedicated volunteers and help them further raise standards in our village.

“Everyone benefits from it, including the businesses in the village.”

So far in 2024, Tallaght Tidy Towns has focused on improving the main road area in the village of Tallaght, a major access road into the village.

They have cleared the Balrothery roundabout, tackled two serious black spots on the Main Road (one on a commercial property and one behind a house), manually cleared the ‘woodland nature trail’ next to Glenview, created a new flower bed on the lower Glenview entrance and also installed a new authentic water pump function here.

Plans for next summer include painting all 26 street boxes, from Old Bawn Road to Main Road, in partnership with AWS.

These provide vital greenery for the village and essential food for bees and birds.

The dedicated volunteer group plans to complete the woodland nature trail along the Main Road, green the Watergate Bridge and add more heritage features to the village.

There will also be a social event to mark Street Feast in May, including for the volunteers and supporters.

TCC invites all interested residents and businesses to join the voluntary effort to improve our village.

Attend the weekly meetings – there are courses suitable for all levels and ages (under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult).

The meeting point is at the Victors statue outside Café Aon Scéal. Gloves and pickers are provided twice a week, Wednesday from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM and Sunday from 11 AM to 12 PM.