This years approach to the Tidy Towns competition was to have each area take responsibility for their own clean-up and this seems to have worked out really well.  There are twelve:

- Kerry Road
- Coolagh Bridge/Scarteen Lower
- Clanaulie Close
- Island Road
- Barry’s Place/Guineys Tce./ Cill Ard
- Castlecourt
- Lower Rd
- Charleville Rd.
- Town Center
- Clonfert
- Priory park/Killowen/Pound Hill.

There is some great work been done around town, picking up litter and generally tidying up the place.  However there are a list of jobs we’d like to get done where we’ll all need to pull together.

Planting

Each year we receive some money from the County Council to spend on plants and other bits and pieces for the town.  All money is spent in local businesses – mainly Tobin’s Hardware store and the Secret Garden.  We have ordered plants for this year – a mix of perennials and annuals for the large planters on the round wall, various streets and the approach roads to town.  We will also be putting together a number of hanging baskets for the town center.  All these plants will be delivered at 7pm on Tuesday the 27th of May (outside the protestant graveyard on Main Street) and we need a large group of people to come and help out.  Please bring a friend, and gardening tools if you have them.  If we have enough help we will weed the biodiversity garden as well.

The Car Park

Our main new project this year is to give the Car Park (behind Supervalu) a real facelift.  Foróige Rebels are putting up a mural on the pump house and have already painted the building and surrounding walls.  The older Foróige group will be doing a mosaic on the wall as you enter from the New Street and that wall will be getting a fresh lick of paint as well.  The boys and girls schools have done up some lovely posters for us and they will be going up on the fence around the site of the old library as well.  We’d like to trim some of the plants and if at all possible do a bit of planting.  We will be doing this work over the coming weeks on Tuesday evenings.  We will keep everyone posted here, on facebook, the Newmarket Notes and the Mass leaflet.

How can you help?

- Come out on Tuesdays and give us a hand, get out of the house, meet some people and do something positive!

- Donate old tiles – we need colourful tiles (broken will do) for our mosaic – preferably blue, green and yellow.  Get in touch with us at contact@athtrasna.com or chat with any committee member if you can help.

- Donate plants – we can never get enough plants – a few shrubs for the edging of the car park would be great.  We’ll always find somewhere for them.

- Water plants – if there are plants near your house/business in public areas please water them.  Especially if our Summer is anything like last year.

- Make town pretty – do you own a building/wall in town?  Could it do with a lick of paint or a power hose?  Could you put up a hanging basket?  Flower box?  Fresh curtains on an empty building?  Every little bit makes a difference and makes it a nicer place to live and do business.  If you need a hand get in touch with us and we’ll help you!

- Pick up litter – get involved in your area and come out and pick up litter and tidy the place.

County Council Litter Challenge

The County Council Litter Challenge started last Monday.  It would be great if we could get some form of prize again this year and get some money to spend on some project in town.

Below are the three judging periods and the housing estates/areas that have been nominated to be included in these weeks.  They will also be looking at the rest of town during these periods so please keep an eye on litter.  Results are received at the end of the first two judging periods which we will share here.

Period 1 (19/05/14 – 28/05/14):         Priory Park

Period 2 (02/06/14 – 11/06/14):         Charleville Road

Period 3 (16/06/14 – 25/06/14):          Clanaulie Close