Newsletter 01 November 2024

Always Remembered

Today we remember with great fondness and sadness our great friend Tony Whelan whose 2nd Anniversary occurs today.

Tony was an amazing man and dedicated to Ballincollig Tidy Towns. He is missed greatly by us all in BTT as a fellow volunteer and as an amazing friend.

Our thoughts are with Clodagh, Bill and Ann today.

Rest in Eternal Peace Tony

Scary Sunday

On Sunday morning our numbers were down slightly but we managed to get all the usual areas covered. We had 18 volunteers out and 4 TY Students and we welcomed Sinead our latest TY Student.

Ger Keogh was on collection this morning and he collected 5 bags of litter from Sunday and 3 bags of litter 1 bag of glass and 1 bag of vapes from during the week.

While we were enjoying our Cuppa in The Plaza we were confronted by a very scary Jack O’Lantern who offered us sweets for our souls.

We just took his sweets .

Today is the day

The excitement is palpable as the announcement of the results of the 2024 SuperValu TidyTowns Competition will take place today in Croke Park!

National Tidy Towns wish to advise you that the event will be live streamed on the day via our social media channels – please keep an eye on thei various pages for links to the live coverage.

They also wish to advise you of a change to the usual Nationwide broadcast – due to a scheduling conflict, the Nationwide programme covering the results of the 2024 SuperValu TidyTowns competition will not be broadcast on Friday 1st November but instead be the subject of a special Nationwide programme on Monday 4th November at 7pm.

Busy TY Students

On Sunday morning Denis and 4 Transition Year Students were gathering leaves at the footpath in Front of Westcliffe Estate. They filled 2 tonne bags with leaves which were later emptied into Compost Bay 1 at HQ.

Compost Bay 1

We continually mention Compost Bay 1 at this time of the year and this is what it looks like this. Two weeks ago this was empty and each week it is filling up quickly. We will show photos of it again in a few weeks.

Busy Sunday at HQ

On Sunday morning John and Anne were busy in HQ where they removed the Begonia bulbs from all pots in the allotment and put them drying in tunnel also known as ICU. All pole planters were emptied into the compost bay 1.

Vapes – what we do with them!!

Every week we pick lots of used Vapes as we carry out litter picks. Vapes unfortunately have become a bit source of litter. When we segregate the rubbish on Monday, the vapes collected are put away separately. Then we go a step further and we break them down into plastic, metal and the batteries. This process takes time but the end result is well worth it. We have been amazed at the volume of vapes which unfortunately seems to be growing but our efforts in recycling are lessening their negative impact.

Deadly Duo Strike Again

Early on Sunday morning the Deadly Duo aka Jarlath and Tony started very early on removing fallen leaves on the Western side of the village. Amidst the chat and laughs the lads did an amazing job. They filled 5 tonne bags and certainly made a huge difference. The pictures tell the story of the difference the Duo made.

Busy Tuesday

Fresh after the Jazz on Tuesday morning Jimmy and Keith did an amazing morning’s work removing leaves at Coolroe. They filled 9 tonne bags an emptied them into compost Bay 1.

Leafy Wednesday

On Wednesday Keith and Ger H continued collecting leaves at Coolroe. They filled 6 tonne bags and brought them to the compost bay at HQ.

Cork & Kerry Food Market 2024

Bees will be back

On Thursday we also brought in all of the bee boxes on the roundabout at Poulavone. They are gone into hibernation and were placed in ICU as some of them have begun to rot at the base and have to have remedial work carried out.

Busy Thursday

On Thursday Keith, Ger K and Tom spent the morning washing inserts and they cleaned some of the wicks that had dried. These planters will be ready for storage for Summer 2025 next week.

Course at Ballincollig FET Centre

We have been asked to let you know about some courses that will be starting here, in the Ballincollig Adult Education Centre, after the mid-term break:

• Creative Writing (Mondays 11:30 am to 1:30pm)

• Word Processing (Tuesdays from 11am to 1pm)

• Computers for Beginners

Also, if anyone needs help learning English, they have regular English Language/ESOL classes ongoing.

Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Deirdre Treacy

Resource Person, Ballincollig FET Centre

+353 (0)86 880 8057 | deirdre.treacy@corketb.ie

Station Rd, Ballincollig, Co.Cork P31 YP25

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Cork County Federation Muintir na Tire Weekly News

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Welcome to another packed edition of our e-zine! This month, we’re excited to share the big results from our Sustainable Menstruation survey and highlight all the incredible work happening across the country. From food waste prevention events in Clonakilty to the enthusiastic start of the Fingal Cup Project, there’s so much to celebrate.

We’re also putting out a Call to Action for passionate young people to join our Youth Advisory Council—we’d love to have you on board! And, as we look ahead, the Global Plastics Treaty is due to be signed in early December. We’re working hard to ensure Ireland champions a global reduction target for plastics, and we’ll be meeting the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to push this forward.

There’s so much more to explore in this edition, so stick on the kettle and read on for all the details!

The upcoming INC-5 negotiations are a critical moment in the fight to end plastic pollution globally. Ireland has the chance to lead by pushing for bold targets to reduce plastic production and protect both human health and the environment. Click the link to learn why these talks matter and how they could shape our plastic-free future!

SUSTAINABLE MENSTRUATION – MENSY

The MENSY project is all about empowering young people to take action on two important issues: menstruation and sustainability. We are working together with 8 other countries across Europe to create trainning resources that help youth leaders to tackle menstrual poverty. By the end of the project 160 youth leaders from 8 countries will be ready to lead local training sessions on menstruation and sustainability. Find out more HERE.

SUSTAINABLE MENSTRUATION WEBINAR On the 21st Oct we held an online webinar. Our panelists were Jo Linehan: Sunday Times Journalist, Nastya Podorozhnya: Menstrual poverty among Ukrainian refugees, Zilka Spahić Šiljak: Findings on menstrual poverty in Bosnian universities, and VOICE’s Abi O’Callaghan Platt: Tackling menstrual poverty through the MENSY project.

79% Of Participants Expressing Worry About The Impact Of Disposable Products

TAKE ACTION : Mensy Youth Advisory Council sign up

• Be an Ambassador: Lead the way in sustainable menstrual protection.

• Voice Your Needs: Ensure the training developed through Mensy meets the needs of all menstruators.

• Get experience sitting on an advisory group of a pan-European pilot project.

The first meeting of the Youth Advisory Council will be held in November 2024, with a further meeting in March 2025. You will also have an opportunity to engage with the youth advisory councils in other consortium countries to form an international network.

The Council is open to young people (aged 18-30), youth workers and youth leaders. Please sign up here to be part of the Mensy Youth Advisory Council!

FABRIC OF CHANGE – TEXTILE WASTE

Solene once again joined Muireann O’Connell and Tommy Bowe on Ireland AM to discuss textile waste, and the best way to keep our clothes looking well and fresh.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FABRIC OF CHANGE WEBSITE

FINGAL CUP PROJECT – CUP WASTE

Great Turnout at Malahide’s First Fingal Cup Project Meeting! We’re excited to share the success of Malahide’s first public meeting as part of the Fingal Cup Project. The turnout was fantastic, with local residents, sports organizations, café owners, and business leaders all coming together to discuss ways to reduce single-use cups in their community. We were also joined by Killian Treacy from the Killarney Cup Project, who shared valuable insights via Zoom on how their efforts are progressing. The energy in the room was incredible, with a lively discussion and thoughtful questions from everyone involved.

Please Donate and Support VOICE's Campaigns

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT – FOOD WASTE

On October 6th, over 100 people cam along to our 1st Clonakilty Apple Fest. The sun shone, setting the perfect tone for a fun-filled, educational day dedicated to celebrating apples, local food, and our commitment to reducing food waste. The Apple Fest was a huge success, not just in terms of the fun and activities, but in the incredible community response to our zero food waste message. You can read more HERE

On Oct 13th, Caitlin Ruth (recently nominated for ‘Ireland’s best chef’!!!) led a workshop exploring interesting ways to turn leftover starchy foods (pasta, bread, porridge) into new delicious dinners & desserts. Sold out with over 40 people in attendance, we were shown how to make (and tasted) spaghetti pie, cinnamon bread pudding,carrot porridge cake, curried potato cakes and more!

On Oct 7th, Susan Moroney led a Kombucha Workshop. Susan demonstrated how easy it is to make and even let attendees taste several flavours. Kombucha has so many health benefits and we are very grateful to Susan for being so generous with her time and her Kombucha!

Beginning the month of November, Waste Not Want Not will be working on a new town-wide initiative called ‘Stop the Sachets’. Using local media and in collaboration with local chamber of commerce, mayoral council, businesses, community groups and schools the goal is to eliminate the use of ketchup, vinegar, mayo and butter sachets (to name a few!) from Clonakilty town.

The first step will see volunteers and students going door to door to each food establishment in the town to inform, support and encourage them to ‘Stop the Sachets’ and throughout the next five months we will continue to promote and support the transition to sachet-free alternatives with the goal of being completely sachet free by April 2025. Join the movement locally or nationwide by posting a photo on social media of a sachet alternative in your own shop or favourite restaurant and tag #STOPTHESACHETS !! Read more HERE