Gorey Tidy Towns

Gorey Tidy Towns Committee was reformed about 2001 when the need was identified to improve the environment within the town. Weekend visitors to nearby Courtown and the influx of commuters moving down from Dublin were putting an increasing demand on the town’s infrastructure. The Tidy Towns group of volunteers set about trying to make the town a more pleasant and clean place to live and work.

Many people think that Tidy Towns is involved solely in the litter clean ups that take place at regular times throughout the year, however this is not the case as the competition consists of ten categories against which points are awarded so the committee have to put some effort into each category in order to score well in the competition.

The Tidy Towns volunteers undertake projects to improve areas within the town and try to involve local residents through Resident Associations in the completion and ongoing maintenance of the project.  It is very important that as many groups as possible within the community are involved in the Tidy Towns effort, as it is a community project. Projects will include the creation or regeneration of green spaces, promotion and protection of natural environments for wildlife, planting of trees and other plants which provide food or shelter to insects, animals and birds. The erection of bird and bat nesting boxes and feeding tables is an ongoing activity.

Some adjudication categories require the co-operation and input of the Council, businesses and households within the town. These include The Build Environment, Landscaping, Residential Areas and Roads, Streets and Back Areas. A little input from a lot of people would make such a difference to our town. Businesses and shops can help by maintaining their premises and frontage in good order and repair. It is a legal requirement that they, and all households, keep the front of their premises free of litter and Gorey Tidy Towns would encourage everyone to clear up once or twice a day.

BENEFITS TO OUR TOWN

The benefits a tidy town attracts are often not appreciated by the businesses or residents within that town and these are often considerable. Companies looking for new locations to expand to take into consideration many factors relating to the selected town including the environment into which they would wish their staff to locate.

Existing local businesses benefit from the additional customers attracted by new companies, expanding population and improvements to the infrastructure.

School leavers, for many decades faced with the prospect of emigration, commuting or living away from home have a greater opportunity of finding suitable rewarding work in their home town. Everyone has something to offer, even if they think it is of no importance, but the old saying “Many hands make light work” still holds true today. You may be surprised at how much enjoyment and satisfaction you can get from improving your town.