SOME NEW BLOOD 
As the country is learning to live with Covid and getting back to near normal conditions, Ballincollig Tidy Towns has decided that now would be the perfect time to have an injection of new blood.
We are looking for new Volunteers.
So many more of us now have extra time on our hands, time that can perhaps be spent giving back to the town in which we live.
In the past few years BTT has completed several projects that have enhanced the community.
YOU may have some ideas of your own. Ways to improve Ballincollig even more.
We want to hear from you. We want you to join us.
Your input would be invaluable to us going forward as we try to improve and grow the community and build on what has been achieved so far.
Now more than ever fresh ideas, fresh minds and fresh hands would be very welcome.
Come join us. Play your part in creating a community for future generations.  

 

BOXED
While Ballincollig has welcomed the ever popular BOXED coffee pod to the town, we in Ballincollig Tidy Towns are proud to be including them in our Pollinator Corridor in the coming weeks.  The owners of BOXED wish to play their part in doing their bit for Biodiversity in the community and are in the process of preparing some lovely Planters/Boxes to enhance their premises. 
Ballincollig Tidy Towns welcomes BOXED and wishes them every success.

 

OVER THE WALL
This week we took a peek over a garden wall to see a hundred and one different plants and flowers growing happily alongside each other. What lovely varieties and colours. 

    

(the owner gave permission for these images to be used)
LITTER PICK
Sunday morning we welcomed our youngest Volunteer, Nuala May, as she came to help her Granny Pick Litter. They were among the twenty-three Volunteers (incl. five Transition Year students) who gathered on Sunday morning for the weekly Litter Pick.
The bags gathered were collected from allocated ‘Pick Up Points’ by our Volunteer Pat. He was kept busy as there were fifteen bags of Litter and one bag of Leaves.
When Adrian sorted through these bags on Monday, there were three bags of Plastic, ten bags of Litter and two bags of Cans.
During the week many of our Volunteers were out collecting litter and they collected five bags of Litter, one bag of Glass, one bag of Plastic and one bag of Cans.
One bag of Grass Cuttings was collected from Leo Murphy Terrace.

 

SOME OF THE WEEK’S WORK
On Monday after Adrian had sorted through Sunday’s Litter at the Allotment, he weeded the Wooden Planters in the town centre.

Tuesday, he did a Litter Pick on the Old Fort Road and Community Drive. When this was done, he finished the job of painting the Sleepers on the Flowerbeds at the Allotment.
After using the BTT Van to transport leaves to the Allotment, it was in bad need of a good scrub.
John and Adrian cleaned and washed it inside and out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WINTER PLANTING
Although the Planters still look good, when the cold weather comes it’s sure to take its toll on them.  
They have looked magnificent for the past few months. Huge credit is due to both Pat Clarke and Pat Fennell for their amazing dedication in looking after all the Planters over the past few months.
We were busy preparing the flowers for the winter planting. They are all ready now and will be planted next week. They will then be given time to grow on before being put out on the Railings.

 

AUTUMN LEAVES
John has been busy preparing the Compost Bays for the autumn leaves that will be collected in the coming weeks.  
The first batch of leaves consisted of twelve bags of leaves which were collected by the residents of Carrigdene.
Residents have agreed to gather leaves from their Estates as they fall. We will arrange collection of them each week.  The leaves are valuable to us for compost.
Four bags of Leaves were collected from Beech Road on Thursday evening.

 

 

WATERING
On Monday night the Two Pats spent two and a quarter hours watering all the Planters in the West Village and all the Planters on Main Street and Eastgate. They used 800 litres of harvested rain water.
Thursday’s Watering also took 800 litres of water and took two and a quarter hours to complete.  All the street Planters, the Parklet, the Towers and Eastgate were watered.

We have made the decision that as and from tonight Thursday, watering will stop for the season. We put the Planters in place on 29th May and they gave five months of enjoyment to us all.

A huge ‘thank you’ to both Pats for all their hard work over this time.