Making Tidy Waves in Ballyjamesduff

The glory days of national success may well return to Ballyjamesduff as the the Tidy Towns push shows no sign of slackening in the town - as reflected in the marks which continue on an upward trend each year. Chairperson of the committee, Susan Willis, told The Anglo-Celt that every year they are achieving greater success as more enhancement projects are completed. The hanging flower baskets are a colourful addition to the town, and how well they are maintained and watered is a credit to all. They have completed a wonderful transformation job at Lismeen Cross on the outskirts of the Town on the Virginia Road. It is adjacent to the two schools at an area which Susan tactfully describes as not doing anything to enhance the approach to the town. "The Tidy Towns Committee met with the council engineer for the area, Kevin Sexton and a plan was formulated to transform and reclaim the area. The ground was levelled and then raked and all the stones were gathered from the surface. Grass seed was sewn and 20 oak trees were planted along the boundary fence. We then poured concrete in two locations to facilitate picnic benches", explained Susan Willis. "We are pleased to say that one year on from our work, this area has now evolved into a people's park and it is a meeting place for both young and old. We can also report that the area is always litter free and those who use the area for picnics are mindful of the bins provided and put their litter in them". Susan says people travel from all over to visit the County Museum and it is important that the entrances to the town look well. All the bins in the town have new barriers placed on their openings to ensure that people can't dump some of their household rubbish in them. There is still a problem around the area with some illegal dumping, but some proactive steps have been taken to curtail that activity in conjunction with the litter warden. Susan says that the Tidy Towns judges are no longer just concentrating on the aesthetic beauty of a place and lots of flowers, but there is a growing focus on biodiversity, waste management, and waste control. She revealed that they had two people from the Irish Wildlife Trust visit the area recently to give a presentation. "We also talked to them about other areas around the town, where biodiversity could be activated to keep the natural environs intact". They have also identified a wild flower meadow area at the rear of the primary school and 30 different flowers are growing there. They intend to put up an educational plaque picturing and identifying each plant. It could evolve into a nature trail for the children in the Primary School. Ballyjamesduff Tidy Towns committee members: Susan Willis, chairperson, Helen Smith, vice chairperson; Eileen Lynch, treasurer; Mary Reilly, assistant treasurer; Rosemary Galligan, PRO. Committee members: Breda Smith, Brian Slowey, Jimmy Smith, Des Smith, Kevin Fox, Grainne Callaghan, and Brendan Fox.