Our primary aim as outlined in our Mission Statement is “to work with and through the community to promote awareness of our environment and to preserve and enhance our heritage through the development of the town”.  We have found that there are huge advantages to the community of being involved in the National Tidy Towns Competition.  It has helped us to come together as a group to focus on the town and the upkeep of the town.  The profile of the group increases every year drawing in new people and interested groups.

We feel that it is important to have an element of fun in the Tidy Towns Association and to enjoy and believe in what we are doing.  The group activities are approached from this point of view and the mood is kept light and the local competitions we hold, such as the BAGIT challenge, add to this.  In all our projects participants get to interact with others and a good sense of community is formed.

It’s a very successful voluntary organization, with Bantry receiving another Bronze medal in the Small Towns category of the National Tidy Towns competition in 2010. This effectively means that Bantry is among the top ten small towns in Ireland. The group has also won prizes under Cork County Council’s Litter Challenge competition.  However, the group is about a lot more than litter picking as you will see from the list of activities below:

Some of the Tidy Towns projects undertaken in 2010

Fundraising

• A Church Gate collection is held in June each year.  This is always greatly supported by the public. 
• Local businesses are very supportive of Bantry Tidy Towns and have provided sponsorship for projects and free materials for the litter-pickups such as bin-bags and gloves.
• Funding has also been obtained through grants from the Heritage Council and County Council (see individual projects below).

Built Environment and Landscaping

• Peace Park: in 2010, funding was granted under the County Council’s Amenity Grant Scheme for seating at The Peace Park. Sustain West Cork (a local environmental group) are creating a Community Garden at the park: planting of fruit and nut trees took place in March  2010.  
• Abbey: this year we were delighted to be awarded a grant by the Arts Committee at Bewleys to enable the landscaping and lighting of “The Spirit of Love” Sculpture at the Abbey.
• Bathing box: Tidy Towns raised funding to have the planted area at the Bathing Box managed to help create a lovely amenity for people to rest for a while on the seating and enjoy the view of the bay. 
• Other landscaping: areas such as the Hospital Cross are continuously maintained by two Fás Community Employees assigned to Bantry Tidy Towns. New areas are also planted with flowers e.g. the Newtown approach to the town. Tidy Towns also liaises with students undertaking the National Learning Network’s course in horticulture to identify projects.
• Local competition: each year G.W.Biggs sponsors a local Tidy Town competition for local businesses.  This competition highlights the importance of maintaining premises in good order together with the use of fresh colour schemes and floral displays to enhance buildings and the streetscape. There is also a local competition for residential properties.
• Irish language: we are currently encouraging Town Traders to use the Irish Language in their shop signage.

Wildlife and Natural Amenities    

• Biodiversity Plan – the group has been working with the National Parks and Wildlife Services to develop a Bantry Biodiversity Action Plan. Mapping areas of interest was done by experts from local NGOs such as Birdwatch Ireland (West Cork) and The Irish Wildlife Trust (Cork Branch).  From this Bantry Biodiversity Audit and Management Plan was drawn up.  To see the plan visit the Natural Heritage section of this website.
• Flowers for wildlife: Bantry Tidy Towns liaises with the local landscapers that carry out planting in the public areas to ensure that they plant flower beds with species that attract butterflies and bees.  In some areas grass is being left uncut to allow wildflower meadows to form.
• Alien invasive species: Bantry Tidy Towns and the Cork County Council ensure where possible that alien invasive plant species, such as Japanese knotweed, are removed from the roadside verges and public spaces. 
• Heritage Loop Walks:  Bantry Tidy Towns received a grant of 5k in 2010 from the Heritage Council to fund a project to develop five loops walks with an accompanying leaflet and mapboard.  The way-markers for the trails have been sponsored by local businesses. For more information on the trails click here.
• Birds of Bantry: a leaflet about the Birds of Bantry was produced in 2010 along with a display board which will erected near the new slip at Abbey. Funding came from the Heritage Council. To view the bird leaflet click here.
• Heritage Week: in Heritage Week 2010, we organised five evening walks on the new loop walks, guided by local experts in history and wildlife.
• Bat boxes - Letty Baker, a local businesswoman, provided sponsorship for Bat Boxes in 2010 which were erected by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Litter Control and Tidiness        

• Litter-picking –twice a week we meet to perform litter pickups attended by committee members, associate members and the general public.  This can be a general pick up or a concentration on a specific area in the town.  Residents of the town who are supportive of our initiatives continue to be responsible for keeping their own areas within the town neat and tidy.
• BAGIT Challenge – a locally initiated competition involving different businesses, community groups and schools who are allocated a particular evening during the summer to come out and collect as much litter as they can. There is a great response to this each year and the volunteers enjoy the community spirit which is created by this challenge.
• Schools – St. Goban’s College, Student Council have arranged a Rota for litter pick up on the route from the College to Town, this has made a notable difference to the amount of litter in this area. New litter bins have been installed around the schools.
• Inter-town litter competition – Bantry received second place in the Cork County Council inter-town litter competition in 2009, missing first place by a mere 4 pieces of litter. 

Waste Minimisation Recycling: litter on the weekly pickups is segregated so it can be recycled.  Green Flag: Several schools in the area have gained the Green Flag award, and are working on the second, and in some cases the third flag.  Recycling now takes place in every classroom. The Green Flag is an internationally recognized standard and is awarded to schools who have met specific stringent criteria and achieved high levels of excellence in environmentally friendly practices. Tidy town members visit and advise schools on environmental topics each year. Funding being sought through Bantry Business Association to put the water wheel at the library back into action to generate electricity.
		BAGIT challenge

To get involved in the activities of the Bantry Tidy Towns group contact our Chairman:
Philip Spillane 086 8733605

The Heritage Council, Heritage Education, Communication & Outreach Grants Scheme, 2010.