A SUCCESSFUL NIGHT
At 8pm on Tuesday last up to seventy people attended the talk at the Oriel House Hotel by Margaret Griffin of Griffins Garden Centre on the Importance of planting Pollinator Friendly Plants.
The evening opened with Tom Butler of Ballincollig Tidy Towns introducing the newly revised marking format for the Annual Estates Competition. He outlined how a greater emphasis is being put on the use of pollinator friendly plants. He spoke about the website its excellent Biodiversity page with essential information
Ballincollig Tidy Towns new logo for its Spray Free initiative was also launched and he explained how Residents will be in a position to earn Spray Free signage for their own Estates. With this signage extra marks will then be allocated to them in the Annual Estates Competition. The Spray Free Committee was also on hand and will be available to Residents in the coming weeks and months to give advice and information.
Thank you to Margaret Griffin of Griffins Garden Centre who went to endless trouble to deliver a most entertaining and informative talk.
A big thank you to Finbarr from Wild Work who gave a wonderful talk.
To finish off the night there was a question and answer session. Leaflets on Pollinator Friendly plants were available for the people to take away.
The night was a success with one Estate already pledging to be Spray Free.
A big thank you to all those who supported this evening.
CE/TUS WORKERS
Over the past two weeks our CE/TUS Workers have been involved in many new projects among them the removal of weeds at the base of walls throughout Ballincollig. This work takes a greater effort as we no longer use sprays. The result will make such a difference to the environment. Spray Free may mean more work but it also means we are caring for our future.
LITTER PICK
Last Sunday the lovely Spring sunshine brought thirty Volunteers and four Transition Year students out for the weekly Litter Pick.
The total number of bags collected from this Litter Pick and those carried out daily during the week previous by some of our Volunteers, were twelve bags of rubbish. When segregated they gave three bags of glass, three bags of cans, one bag of plastic and five bags of waste.
The amount of area covered over the hour-long Litter Pick is quite substantial. It covers from the traffic lights on the Carrigrohane Road to Apple Green in Classis, including Old Fort Road, Community Drive, Main Street, High Street and the Car Park.
WEBSITE
We have added the Ballincollig Tidy Towns contact number and email address to the top of our Home website page www.ballincolligtidytowns.ie
We added a very interesting and informative blog from Bird Watch Ireland advising the public that it is prohibited to cut, burn or otherwise destroy vegetation not then cultivated between Sunday 1st March to August 31st, except in the case of any of the derogations permitted under the Wildlife Act. This means that the cutting of hedgerows and the burning or gorse and other vegetation are prohibited during this period. Check it out.
The importance of letting dandelions grow is another piece recently added to the website. In the past few weeks we are starting to encounter fresh growths of dandelions and grass. Instead of clearing them away we are leaving them grow. This change in mindset is extremely important. Why not check out the blog.
WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS
Do you have some free time on your hands? Would you like to join Ballincollig Tidy Towns as a Volunteer and work with us on projects or perhaps spend an hour a week on our Sunday Litter Pick? If so, contact PAT CLARKE on 087 6348807.
Our Work Nights will be starting up again soon. Tuesday and Thursday nights we will need extra hands to assist in the many projects and with the work we carry out on these nights. Several Wash Down Days are in the pipeline in the coming months so we will appreciate any help that people can give.
CHANGES
Main Street Ballincollig is undergoing several changes at present. Some of the older buildings have been sold, some are undergoing renovations and some have planning permission for renovations submitted. It is wonderful to see these changes as it keeps Ballincollig moving forward and growing.
2020 WINDOW STICKER CAMPAIGN
Our 2020 Window Sticker Campaign has begun and letters were distributed throughout Ballincollig this week. These letters seek a donation towards the work we do in Ballincollig Tidy Towns. For each donation a Window Sticker is sent to the relevant business/premises to be displayed. The name of each business is then included on the Sponsors Page of our website. We appreciate the continued support we receive from the businesses of Ballincollig.
