Newsletter 14 January 2025

Happy New Year

Wishing all our Volunteers, Sponsors, Supporters and Friends a Very Happy New Year. We hope that it is a great year for everyone. For BTT it is a very special year as Ballincollig Tidy Towns Cerebrates its 60th Birthday on 25th June 2025.

What an incredible journey it has been over those 60 years.

We are still enjoying the celebrations and want to thank everyone for their kind messages, cards and gifts over the last 2 months. We are extremely grateful. We have visited some of the schools and will gladly visit the remainder if they wish.

As a Committee we have been working towards the 2025 SuperValu National Tidy Towns Competition since June of last year and we have some great plans to try and improve even further in 2025.

Our Weekly Newsletter is our way of getting information out to people and the numbers who read it every week continues to grow. Our website is constantly being updated and we will be making further changes to it in the coming weeks.

Later this year we are looking forward to the visit of The President Michael D.Higgins to Ballincollig which will be a huge honour for our amazing Community.

We ask each and every one of our Community to  make an extra effort to maintain the very high standards that we have achieved in Ballincollig. Every little bit of support makes a big difference.

Please Visit Our Website at www.ballincolligtidytowns.ie.

 

Back to Normal – A Busy Sunday

Our first “Official Litter Pick” for 2025 was delayed until Sunday for Health and Safety reasons due to the Icy Weather last week.

We were back with vengeance with 35 volunteers plus 8 Transition Year Students.

It was a very busy morning and our volunteers did a deep clean along all routes. It was very evident that we had been missing but thankfully in one hour we could see a positive difference.

A lot of people would walk through Ballincollig and say it was clean but not for our volunteers. Their attention to detail is amazing.

Pat had a very busy morning and collected 15 bags from the 1 Hour Litter Pick.

In addition he collected 6 bags of litter 2 bags of glass and 1 bag of cans as a result of Litter Picks during Christmas.

Pat also collected 15 bags of litter as a result of a litter pick by one of our volunteers who carried in the graveyard behind The Church of St Mary  & St John.

Pat had to make 3 trips to the allotment  to collect all the bags.

The cuppa and treats were very welcome but more importantly was the chat.

Back to Normal

🎉 Birthday Boys 🎉

On Sunday morning two birthday boys got a surprise when everyone started singing Happy Birthday in The Plaza.

Eugene and Fearghal both celebrated their birthdays recently so they both got birthday cake.

Congratulations lads.

Birthday Boys
Birthday Boys

Well Done to The Reel Cinema Staff

On Sunday morning we met The Reel Cinema Time Square staff Ronan and Peter who were busy cleaning up around the Time Square and the Car Park. Both lads were doing an excellent job and their work certainly made a difference.

This is not a one off event and the staff and management at The Reel Cinema have to be commended for their continual efforts in keeping the area clean

Well done to the whole Team.

The Reel Cinema Staff

⚠️ Beware ⚠️

A word of caution to motorists and pedestrians to be extremely careful when driving or crossing the road from Harrington Street up to Westside Retail Park.

There are some unbelievable potholes on the centre of the road at two different areas. ⚠️

Santa Visit

The Core of BTT

What is the most important and valuable part of Ballincollig Tidy Towns? It’s our amazing volunteers. Each one has played and continues to play an integral part in BTT’s success to date.

They all give of their time freely. They have nothing to gain from their work except pride.

Being involved in BTT is much more than work it’s about camaraderie it’s about inclusivity it’s about community and it’s about friendship. BTT is like a big family and everyone looks out for each other.

The Welcome and the Cuppa in The Plaza after our Weekly Litter Pick is the most important part of the week. The chatter and laughter says it all. If you would like to join BTT you are always welcome. We meet every Sunday morning at 11am in the Car Park at Quish’s SuperValu West Village.

The Core of BTT

Please Vote for BTT

We are very proud to be a Finalist in Cork International Hotel sponsored Community Spirit Awards and we are asking people to Log Into their Website and Vote for Ballincollig Tidy Towns. (Voting Deadline January 19th)

Please Vote for BTT

Allotment Works

On Sunday Morning Anne was busy working in the allotment and planted up some recycled planters with winter plants and hung them near the entrance. In one hour Anne’s work brightened the whole allotment.

A great morning’s work.

Allotment Works

Summer Preparations

Despite the freezing cold weather last Tuesday Jimmy and Sunday spent the morning in the Tunnel at HQ putting wicks in the planter inserts in preparation for Summer 2025.

Summer Preparations

Busy TY Students

On Sunday morning 8 Transition Year Students under the guidance of Denis and Bridget were working in Fr Sexton Park. They did an incredible job and collected 8 Tonne bags of wet leaves. The really earned their Hot Chocolate at the Plaza afterwards.

Busy TY Students

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