COMPETITION NEWS
Adjudication for this year’s SuperValu National Tidy Towns competition is now complete. The results will be announced in late October and the awards ceremony will be held at a later date in the RDS in Dublin.
In the past few days SuperValu National Tidy Towns received the results and is sifting through them at present. Numbers to be invited will need to be decided, hopefully it will be as many as possible. More information will be available in upcoming issues of the newsletter.
The Regional Awards ceremonies will also return this year. SuperValu National Tidy Towns will do its level best to have some of these organised before the end of the year. However, the remainder may run into January. More information will be issued when it becomes available.
EXTREME GENEROSITY
Ballincollig Tidy Towns is delighted to announce a wonderfully generous donation of €2,000 from our friends over at the Powdermills App.
The team recently won an award at the Digital Ireland Town Awards, for their “Powdermills” mobile phone app. This is aimed at providing a “Museum in your hand” to any and all visitors to the Regional Park in Ballincollig. 100% of this prizemoney was generously donated to Ballincollig Tidy Towns.
Launched in 2021, the team created an entirely free and ‘not-for-profit’ interactive app covering several of the key buildings in the Ballincollig Gunpowder Mills complex – bringing history to life using just your phone.
The Gunpowder Mills in Ballincollig is the largest industrial archaeological site in Ireland. The app provides an interactive map, a list of all the major buildings involved in the gunpowder making process, as well as various pieces of information, such as the history of the buildings, floor plans, photos, trivia and function. It is a truly interactive experience that marries cutting edge technology with the rich history and culture of Ballincollig.
The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Search for “Powdermills”, or check their website for more details: https://www.powdermills.ie/
In line with the primary objective of the Powdermills App, Ballincollig Tidy Towns will be allocating the funds to works in and around the Regional Park itself. We will be working with Cork City Council to identify exactly what this generous donation should be spent on.
We are extremely grateful to the Powdermills App Team for this donation and for the amazing work they have done which opens the information history of The Gunpowder Mills.
ONGOING WORK
John spent time at the Allotment on Monday segregating the rubbish collected from the various litter picks.
Adrian removed all the suckers from the trees in Coolroe Meadows.
All the newly planted Hydrangeas at Carrigrohane were watered.
THURSDAY WORK NIGHT
Last Thursday’s work night was the start of our ‘cutting back’ work in preparation of the coming winter and spring months.
As schools were reopening, we began with the area beside the footpath from the school gates of Gaelscoil Ui Riordain to the traffic lights at Limeworth.
Eleven one-ton bags of hedging and high grass were removed from here.
LITTER PICK
On Sunday 17 Volunteers gathered for the weekly litter pick. It was great to see some new Volunteers out and getting stuck in. Their feedback was extremely positive.
We were joined by members of Suil Linn Walking Group who have always been extremely supportive of our efforts.
Some of our Volunteers also carried out litter picks during the week.
When all the collected litter was segregated it yielded 1 bag of Glass, 2 bags of Cans and 1 bag of Plastic.
Three bags of kerb sweepings were also collected from Rosewood.
WILDWORK
Wild Work in Action
Wild Work invites people and/or your staff to get out of the office and into nature this September & October.
Connect businesses and staff to their outdoor environments, to explore the benefits between nature and biodiversity and our own health and wellbeing.
Business organizations are invited to explore restorative outdoor activities and learning through two interactive elements set outdoors.
Wellness Tools for Businesses
Locations: Haulbowline, Fota House & Ballybrack Woods Douglas
Wild Work invites individuals or teams from South Cork Businesses to join them for 2 two-hours sessions outdoors in nature, where you can engage and learn about nature as a wellbeing tool for business and your staff members.
They hope you will engage with discussion and activities to integrate biodiversity and individual wellbeing, and bridge access to nature by applying Wellbeing tools within the urban context.
To view dates & Registration Link: https://wildwork.ie/south-cork-well_being-theme/
Meadow Management
Locations: Haulbowline Island & Gilead Meadow (Note these locations are open to all. You do not have to be affiliated with Gilead to attend the Gilead meadow sessions)
If staff want to put the Wild Work Wellness approach into practice, businesses and staff are invited to join Part 2: Meadow Management as Wellness Tool, a once off two-hour session.
They invite you to Integrate the wellness concepts into group action, and meadow management into practice. Lace up your boots, meet outside and learn how to transform a piece of land into a rich, biodiverse meadow from the Wild Work team. To view dates and Registration Link: https://wildwork.ie/south-cork-well_being-theme/
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Residents from the Wood Road and local walking group Suil Linn signed up to Cork City’s LOVE YOUR AREA/”GET A GRIP” ANTI LITTER CAMPAIGN 2022.
Last Sunday the Wood Road residents carried out a litter pick as part of this campaign.
This positive initiative helps groups by supplying them with litter pickers, gloves and bags and has made quite a difference.
St. Finbarr’s AC held a 10mile race in and around the Marina this week. Ballincollig Tidy Towns provided the club with litter pickers etc and they cleaned up after the race leaving the area as they had found it…..litter free.
HYDRANGEAS
At Ballincollig Tidy Towns the Volunteers are constantly looking at ways to improve the projects they undertake.
There have been several issues with the Hydrangeas at Carrigrohane and the lack of water. Because of the recent dry spell these plants were in trouble and we were in fear of losing them.
So, this week drainage pipes were inserted behind the newly planted Hydrangeas in the hope that all the water used will find their way to the roots rather than rolling down the slope.
pics from the week –