Dundalk wins gold in tidy towns competition.
Peter Malone, Chairman, Dundalk Economic Development Group - the group of public and private sector interests working together to promote Dundalk as a destination for inward investment, tourism and development - has congratulated Dundalk on its fantastic success in the Tidy Towns Competition.
“The physical appearance and presentation of a town is a crucial indicator by those who visit it, be that for business or pleasure. On a business level, those who visit Dundalk to evaluate the town as a location for potential investment will no doubt take how it appears on the surface into account – it inevitably will sway their opinion. Similarly, visitors, both domestic and international, will also be encouraged to visit and return to areas that are clean, tidy and well-presented so a good showing in a competition such as the Tidy Towns is an important factor in encouraging both direct investment and tourism to Dundalk” he said.
“Furthermore, a ‘tidy town’ is demonstrative of a strong level of civic pride and a community that works together to maintain its environment. Dundalk Town Council deserves to be congratulated on the huge effort made on its part and the lead role it has played in tackling litter and encouraging good practice but this award belongs to all of Dundalk’s stakeholders because it is the partnership between the Council, business sector and local community that has brought this gold medal to Dundalk. The step up from silver to gold and indeed Dundalk’s steady success over the past year in the IBAL awards too shows how by coming together, real progress can be achieved and perhaps more importantly, maintained.”
Dundalk Tidy Towns Committee strikes Gold.
The tireless work of the Dundalk Tidy Towns Committee was rewarded with Gold in the Tidy Towns ceremony in Dublin.
Dundalk is top of its category; areas with a population of over 25,000. Dundalk town was also commended in the overall County awards.
Congratulating all involved, Dundalk Cathaoirleach, Cllr. Seamus Keelan said “This is another marvellous accolade for our town. The days when Dundalk appeared at the bottom of barometers such as the IBAL anti-litter league are long behind us and our Gold Medal winning town is now one we can be immensely proud of.”
“This is the result of the huge effort put in by all our volunteers; from local residents associations; the town’s traders and business people to the Dundalk Town Council outdoor staff. I would like to thank all involved and pay tribute to their dedication. I would also like to remind the public that these volunteers are out in the hail, rain and sunshine cleaning and preening our town; a town which is now a credit to them.”
Jimmy Cumiskey, Chairman of the Dundalk Tidy Towns Committee said “This is a day of such pride for our town. We are delighted to have built on our silver-medal success of last year to bring home the gold in this the 50th anniversary of the Tidy Towns competition. All summer long, our volunteers from the business and residential sectors, in partnership with the Louth Local Authorities, have been working hard to keep out town looking its best. It just goes to show what we can do when we all work together.”
Dundalk Town Clerk, Frank Pentony said “This is further testimony to the unique approach Dundalk takes to keeping its town clean. Dundalk Tidy Town’s Committee, a three-pronged approach between the business and residential sectors, in partnership with the local authority, has been a tremendous success so far and is setting an example for the rest of the country to follow.”
“The committee’s 5 year Strategic Actions Programme 2008 – 2013, which sets out targets and priorities for the coming years, has already reaped this fantastic reward for our town. This will serve as a great motivator to keep Dundalk aiming high and positioning itself as one of the tidiest and most attractive areas of the country.”
Dundalk’s success was mirrored across the county at last night’s ceremony, which was broadcast live on RTE television. Louth took home 4 gold medals in total. The county dominated the small village category, taking two gold medals for Knockbridge and Tallanstown. It also dominated the large town category with Drogheda joining Dundalk with a gold medal.
Dundalk will be celebrating again next month with the gala awards ceremony for the annual ‘Dundalk Improve Our Town Awards’ on October the 2nd.
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