AGM
Ballincollig Tidy Towns Annual General Meeting took place on Monday 17th July in The Oriel House Hotel.
There was a great turnout and the meeting was a very positive one.
Chairman, Tom Butler began with an opening address paying special tribute to a much loved and respected colleague, Tony Whelan who passed away some months previously. As a mark of respect, a minute’s silence was observed.
The Chairman then delivered the Annual Report covering all aspects of work done in the various categories and paid tribute to the incredible work done by the Volunteers throughout the year. He thanked Cork City Council staff both locally and in City Hall. He also thanked the schools, Residents Associations, sponsors and the wider community for their continued support and commitment.
The audited accounts were presented and were adopted by the meeting.
As per the constitution all Committee Members resigned on the night. Before elections took place Tom Butler paid tribute to Tadg Murphy who had acted as Treasurer for over 20 years and to Con O’Sullivan who was Secretary for 29 years and to Brendan Murphy and Sheila Somers. Their commitment and support were second to none.
Margaret Long from Cafe Chico agreed to oversee the process of electing a chairperson. Following a series of votes a new Committee was elected as follows – Chairperson Tom Butler Vice Chairperson Pat Clarke, Secretary John O’Regan, Treasurer Margaret Keogh, Assistant Treasurer Diarmuid Horgan, Committee Members Denis O’Leary, John Buckley, Ger Keogh, Garret Kelleher, Pat Buckley, Kieran O’Shea, Sheila Phillips. Con O’Sullivan, Jimmy Shorten and Gay Holden.
WORK DONE
Saturday Denis spent the morning painting all the timbers of the flower beds at Coolroe and Coolroe Meadows.
Tuesday’s heavy rain failed to deter Tommy and Adrian from cutting back the hedge that runs beside the footpath to the arches at Eastgate.
They continued their work cutting back a hedge which had grown out on the footpath outside the underground car park on Old Fort Road.
Sunday weeded the gap between the footpath and cycle path on Old Fort Road. He also did some weeding on the footpath at Carraig Centre. A total of 4 plastic bags of weeds and grit and 2 one-ton bags of hedge cuttings were collected.
One of our Volunteers continued removing graffiti and washing signs on Wednesday evening.
Removing each piece makes such a difference.
A pedestrian let Denis know that there were briars hanging over the footpath near Maglin Vale on the Killumney Road. He cut them back and cleaned the footpath. This has made the place safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Sunday and Jimmy tackled the weeds at the base of the wall on the Inniscarra Road near the Pedestrian Entrance / Bridge to the Regional Park.
LITTER PICK
On Sunday morning we had 25 Volunteers out for the weekly litter pick.
We were delighted having Ben from Inchegeela join us for the day. A sincere welcome to our latest volunteers Lehel and Agota from Hungary.
Twelve bags of Litter were collected and dropped off at the Allotment for sorting, in addition to those collected during the week from the various litter picks – 3 bags of Litter, 1 bag of Cans and 1 bag of Plastic.
Pat Also collected 4 bags of Grass and 1 bag of Twigs from Carrigdene.
Jarlath worked on the traffic islands near the Maxol / Inniscarra Road junction where 3 bags of Weeds/Silt were collected.
R&R TYRES
A huge thank you to Jerry Murphy and his fantastic team for their continued support. One of our wheelbarrows got a puncture on Tuesday morning so R&R Tyres kindly replaced the tyre and tube free of charge.
THURSDAY WORK NIGHT
Thursday’s Work Night there was great work done by 8 Volunteers edging the Link Road. Ger had gone on ahead with the edging machine which made their work much easier.
Six to eight inches of footpath were gained as a result of the edging and the overgrowth being removed.
TUESDAY WORK NIGHT
On Tuesday evening we had 16 Volunteers in our Allotment for the Work Night while more were litter picking in the Village. In the evening sunshine we spent the hour edging and tidying up around the car park.
Before we started our work, Ger gave a tour of the Allotment and showed everyone the various things we do in relation to sustainability and biodiversity.
FLOWERS
Before the work night ended some of our Volunteers went into the tunnel to take some boxes of seeds and bulbs for planting given to us by Tesco. Hopefully we will see these bloom in the coming months.
POETRY AT THE PARK
Cork City Libraries recently published Parallel Universe, the poems of Gerry Murphy and John McHarg’s visual responses to these poems.
The poems and artwork are currently installed as part of Poetry in the Park, across 6 City parks.
Enjoy the experience which engages the public with literature and art in public spaces.
An initiative of Cork City Libraries and made possible by Creative Ireland and the Cork City Council Creative Team.
HERITAGE WEEK PROGRAMME
Heritage week is fast approaching, and Cork City Libraries have an event filled week organised.
There is something for everyone planned from the 12 to 20 of Augustt, from writing workshops to heritage walks.
Why not check out the programme at: https://publications.corkcitylibraries.ie/
UKULELE CLASSES
Ukulele Classes at Hollyhill Library!
fFrom September 6th at 10.00 am Hollyhill Library is starting a new round of ukulele classes for adults aged 55+.
A ukulele will be provided for the duration of the course and the classes are free of charge
Booking is essential as places are limitedl. To book contact Hollyhill Library at (021) 4924928/ 4924945.
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER
Last week Aidan O’Driscoll from MSD came to work with us as a Community Volunteer. Due to the bad weather last week, he was unable to work a few mornings. So, this week to make up for it he returned to finish off edging Community Drive.
We in Tidy Towns are indebted to Aidan for his tireless work and for choosing to work with Ballincollig Tidy Towns as a Community Volunteer.
VMWARE STAFF
Some VMware Staff under Ger’s guidance were edging an area opposite MD O’Sheas on Thursday morning. What an amazing difference their hard work made. A huge amount of footpath was gained after they were done. Great work. Thank you all.
WEST CORK DEDICATED SUICIDE BEREAVEMENT GROUP
Launch Tuesday 25th July 2023
HUGG provides a free, non-judgemental, safe space where people bereaved by suicide can share their experiences and feelings and receive and offer support to each other. All HUGG support groups are led by trained volunteers with lived experience of suicide bereavement. Bereavement by suicide shares characteristics with other bereavements but it is also different. Being among others who understand this grief can bring comfort, and in time hope and healing. For some it can be lifesaving. HUGG focuses on “postvention”, a specific form of intervention which is provided after a suicide in recognition of the increased risk of suicidal ideation among the bereaved family, friends, and community.
West Cork local Amanda Connell will be leading HUGG West-Cork, with the support of her co-facilitator Mark Creegan. The support group will initially take place monthly, with the first meeting on Tuesday July 25th 7.30pm to 9.30pm. It will be a hybrid meeting, allowing people to meet in-person or online. Anyone wishing to join HUGG West-Cork can simply fill in the registration here, or email support@hugg.ie for a call back. Once registered a member of the HUGG Team will be in touch with all the details and to answer any questions.
The New HUGG Group will be based in Skibbereen town. We hope that the group will greatly benefit the local community and the surrounding areas including those living in Schull, Bantry, Dunmanway, Rosscarbery, and Clonakilty. We really want to spread the word to as many people as possible in the West Cork region who have been bereaved by suicide and would appreciate your help in doing so. Please share the news with your networks, organisations within your local community and across social media channels where possible.
PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA & FAMILIES COUNSELLING SERVICE
We continue to offer a counselling service to people with dementia and families and currently have some available slots. They can be face to face (in Doneraile), over the phone or on-line. Participants pay €10 per session and we have a grant to cover the balance. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you wish to avail of the service.
Some quotes from those who have used the service:
‘The facilitator instilled a sense of positivity that made me aware that everything was not lost’ (a person with dementia)
‘I needed to talk to tell somebody about the experience of seeing my parents decline like this. It found it brought me some confidence that I didn’t have (in being able to care for them)’ relative of a person with dementia
Dementia Public Information evening
Takes place Wed 13th September, The Culturlann, Newmarket, 7-9pm, details to follow
Bantry Memory café
Takes place on Wednesday 2nd August in the Maritime Hotel, 11am-1pm. Contact Juliette 087 9103036 for further details
Later stages dementia online course
The Alzheimer Society of Ireland are running online courses for relatives of people with advanced dementia.
They will be facilitated in September and November.
Content includes:
-Later stage symptoms
-Transitions in later stage dementia care
-Emotional well-being for the person living with dementia
-Coping and self-care
-Person-centred communication approaches
-Review, reflect and look ahead
For more information visit www.alzheimer.ie or email familycarertraining@alzheimer.ie
IRISH LANGUAGE EVENTS & INITIATIVES GRANT
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn has announced the launch of a grant scheme aimed at providing financial support to groups and organisations involved in Irish language projects. Cork County Council has established the initiative to assist and promote Irish language events and initiatives throughout the county.
The grant scheme is open to support projects that utilise and promote the Irish language, including festivals, concerts, family event days, films, plays, or any art form that celebrates and encourages the use of Irish.
Cllr. Frank O’Flynn welcomed the launch of the scheme,The maximum amount granted for any event is €1,500 under this scheme, and the ability by the organisation in question to match funding is required. Organisations may apply for more than one event within the application period, and these will be considered subject to availability of funding and the initiative meeting the grant criteria.
This scheme is open to applications until close of business on Friday, August 11th. Please visit our https://www.yourcouncil.ie/ for more information.
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