Newsletter 23 November 2024
Sunday at the Allotment
On Sunday morning we had 25 volunteers plus 9 Transition Year Students. The TY Students visited our allotment with Pat and Denis to learn about what we do there week in week out. They saw first hand what happens to the leaves that they collect each week in the compost bays.
They also saw how we harvest rainwater from the roof of Scoil Barra and also saw the watering units. Hopefully this gives them a better understanding of the work we do.
Our volunteers collected 10 bags of litter and 1 bag of glass which included litter picks from during the week.
Pat also collected 8 bags of leaves following the work of the residents from Leesdale Court.
We adjourned to The Plaza for a welcome cuppa and some treats. This week a lovely person kindly gave one of our volunteers boxes of chocolates to share with our volunteers to celebrate our NTT win. A very nice gesture and enjoyed by all.
Winter Planters Ready
On Sunday afternoon John and Anne put the finishing touches to the Winter Planters.
Once again they have done an amazing job and these should brighten the long winter days.
Thank You
Since the announcement on 1st November that Ballincollig was Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2024 we have been blown away by people’s reactions. We have received cards, letters hundreds of messages, donations, invitations to attend events and this week we received news that The Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Dan Boyle is hosting a Civic Reception in City Hall for us.
We are deeply indebted and extremely grateful to everyone for their kindness.
Fair Play to Residents
Over the past few weeks our Team have been collecting bags of fallen leaves from a number of residents who have been going out and collecting the leaves in their estates. Others have been clearing footpaths of leaves in their areas. We have noticed some people gathering leaves around the base of trees which the trees appreciate because of the boost in nutrients from the leaves. Trees rely on these nutrients for new growth and will have their roots insulated from the cold of winter and heat of summer.
Well done to each and every one of you for your hard work and for making a difference.
A Wet Monday
Despite it being a very wet Monday Gay and Keith did an incredible job removing the leaves from the road and footpaths around Muskerry junction. The difference was very noticeable and the footpaths are certainly much safer as a result of their work.
They also removed two baskets from pole near Circle K and then emptied all the bags into Compost Bay 1.
Leafy Tuesday
On Tuesday Morning Jimmy and Keith took The Little Wonder out for a run in Wyndham Downs. They spent the morning gathering Leaves and filled 11 tonne bags.
All were removed to the Allotment and emptied into Compost Bay 1
Jimmy then went on to treat the weeds at some of the traffic island’s with his salt water mix.
Rosewood Residents Party !!!
On Friday Night Rosewood Residents gathered in The White Horse for their Annual Get Together. We joined them for their celebration and brought along the National Tidy Towns Trophies. The Residents were clearly very proud Ballincollig’s success and rightly so as Rosewood Residents have set a very high standard in their area and have great plans for 2025 in relation to Biodiversity.
On the night the great John Spillane was performing at The White Horse. We wondered if he has thoughts about changing the name of his song Johnny Don’t go to Ballincollig!!
Planter Revamp
On Wednesday morning Vince and Keith removed a lot of the summer planting from the 4 tiered towers on Main Street in preparation for the planting for the winter on Sunday by Denis and our Transition Year Students.
White Horse Visit
On Friday Night while at the White Horse Bev and some of her fantastic team took time out to admire the NTT All Ireland Trophies. The White Horse has been a huge supporter of our Pollinator Corridor. Miriam has been extremely supportive by ensuring that the majority of their planting has been Pollinator Friendly 
