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News Letter 2010

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BALLINCOLLIG PLACED 9th IN THE IRISH BUSINESS AGAINST LITTER LEAGUE

  

 

Tuesday 24th August

This evening the work nights continued with a litter pick on the Main Roads as well as two volunteers operating a special machine for removing cigarette butts. While this was going on another crew were cutting back the grass verge from the Killumney Road Roundabout to Limeworth.  The effect once again was fantastic and well worth the effort. This job will be completed on Thursday evening.  All help appreciated.

Today also saw Cork County Council commence work at the Eastgate to clean up an area which was unused and is now going to be landscaped.

Also the poles for the new street lighting are being put in place so the final parts of the works are starting to come together

Monday 23rd August

The First Round Results of the Irish Business Against Litter Results were announced today and Ballincollig has moved up to 9th Place in the National League.  Full Details on our IBAL Page

Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd August

Our Annual Church Gate Collection took place over this weekend in both Parish Churches.  Our sincere thanks to those who collected on our behalf.  Our sincere thanks also to those who contributed, your support is very much appreciated. It was very nice for our committee and volunteers to hear so many kind words of thanks and expressions of interest for the work we do.  However some people have to realise what we do is on a voluntary capacity and if their area needs a clean up they cannot depend on Tidy Towns to do it for them, they have to do it for themselves.

 

Tuesday 17th August.

 

BTT Volunteers Working on Killumney Road

Tuesday 10th August.

It is amazing what a few determined  volunteers armed with the correct equipment and energy can tackle.  Tonight people saw first hand what tidy towns people can do in the space of 2 Hours. Tonight we tackled Barry's Road which runs from the Killumney Road past An Caislean and up to the Main Road. The footpath on this road is one of the most used footpaths in Ballincollig as large numbers of people use this as their walking route.  People start at Quish's Supervalu head out to Coolroe Meadows and then down the Killumney Road up Barry's Road and back to Quish's again.  Unfortunately the briars and weeds had taken over the footpath and people were having to step out on to the road which is extremely dangerous. 

Not any more as BTT cut the whole ditch back and in some parts revealed a beautiful stone wall

After the Clean up on Barry's Road

 

Thursday 5th August

Tonight we tackled an overgrown area on the Inniscarra Road near the path which leads down to the Playground.  This area has been obstructed for ages and motorists had great difficulty in seeing pedestrians and visa versa.  The "BTT Hit Squad" changed all that in the space of one hour and then progressed to do a major tidy up in and around the playground. What a difference and our thanks to the resident who praised our work it meant a lot

Tuesday 3rd August

This evening we had 3 projects to tackle firstly the very important litter pick which covered from Quish's Supervalu to the Town Centre and the surrounding areas.  Secondly 4 people tackled the wild clematis which is overhanging onto the footpath from Gaelscoil Ui Riordain to the Footbridge which leads to the Regional Park.  We have received numerous complaints from people to say that they had to step off the footpath because their way was obstructed.  Not any more and after filling 5 of the big bags (like Skippo Bags) the footpath is now clear and as soon as we finished it was great to see women with their buggies being able to walk down the footpath unobstructed. They then carried onto the Footpath that leads from the Inniscarra Road down to the Playground and cut this back as well although this will need another night to finish it off.

Ger Keogh & Ann O'Regan Prepare to tackle the overhanging wild clematis on Inniscarra Road

The Second Picture show the fruits of their work as pedestrians can walk unobstructed

 

While this group was working another group were cutting back the Roundabout and surrounding areas at the EMC² Roundabout and what a difference they made.  Not content with just doing that one they then moved over to the other roundabout on the road up from John A Woods in Classis. The result was incredible.

All in all a very worthwhile and  very rewarding evenings work.  Anyone interested in assisting us or with any comments "Good or Bad" email us on ballincolligtidy@gmail.com

Sunday 1st August

Only another month and we will know if we have improved in the National Tidy Towns Competition and the IBAL Competition.  The results for both should be out in early September so peoples are getting anxious "Watch this Space"

This morning even though it was a Bank Holiday Weekend saw 25 volunteers out for the weekly Litter Pick and because of the numbers a large amount of areas were covered.  The end result was that the area looked very clean.  Afterwards we adjourned to the Oriel House Hotel for our normal Cup of tea or coffee and a chat which has become a very important part of the Litter Pick

Thursday 29th July

This evening a large number of volunteers out again and what a difference they made. Firstly they carried  out a litter pick from The White Horse to the Town Centre and then covered the Car Park as well as Harrington Street and Baker Street.  While this was going on another group tackled the final stages of the path from the rear of Westgate to The Paddocks and Innishmore. The result has been incredible and when Cork County Council remove all the debris we will go back to do a final clean up.  We have also arranged with Cork County Council to have the public lights repaired which will make the area much brighter as the evenings become shorter.

Margaret Keogh & Kitty O'Callaghan working hard on the Eastgate Clean Up

 

 

Tuesday 27th July

Tonight saw a number of volunteers  tackle the overgrown area on the path at the rear of Westgate and the difference in the space of 2 hours was fantastic.  We intend going back in here on Thursday evening and all help is appreciated

 

Sunday 25th July

 

Thursday 22nd July

Our work night continued on the path behind Westgate while others concentrated on the large numbers of cigarette butts that are being discarded in the top and surrounding areas.  One of our committee has managed to get a petrol driven collector for removing this scourge on our streets and it proved very successful

Tuesday 20th July

Tonight we carried out a major clean up at the rear of Westgate on the path that runs down to Innishmore.  This is an ongoing project and the area has been transformed since our work started here.  It has to be seen to be believed and the area is now starting to take shape

Sunday 18th July

15 volunteers braved the horrific weather conditions this morning to carry out the Weekly Litter Pick.  Given the bad conditions we concentrated our efforts on the Main Road from the White Horse to the Eastgate and also included the Cap Park.  On top of this we managed to get the Playground and Barry's Road covered as well.  Such is the dedication of these volunteers to come out in these conditions in the interests of their community.  They have to be commended.

Next Tuesday Night we will be carrying out another work night and will meet at 7pm in Quish's Supervalu Car Park at 7pm

All assistance gratefully appreciated

Friday 16th July

Due to the heavy rain last night our work night was called off.  If is unfortunate as we wanted to tackle the over hanging items on the wall from The Oriel House Hotel to the temporary roundabout at the entrance to Muskerry Estate and also from Gaelscoil Uí Riordain to the foot bridge to the Regional Park.

Hopefully next week's weather will be more favourable.

Wednesday 14th July

Tonight the second round judging was completed and again the standard was high and extremely high in other cases.  Some estates are going to be very disappointed with their ranking this year and the main reason is because a lot of their residents and in some cases their grass cutting contractor are dumping their grass cuttings and their hedge cuttings on the boundary areas of their estates.  Some of the dumping the adjudicators have seen is incredible.  People were advised that this was being marked separately this year and they did nothing about it.  Other estates have made major efforts and the marking reflects this.

We as a committee have invested a lot of time and effort in to running this competition and we thank those who make the effort.

 

Tuesday 13th July

Last Sunday 25 volunteers gave an hour of their time to assist Ballincollig Tidy Towns in
their weekly litter pick. 35 bags in total were collected and 3 of those were segregated for recycling.
The committee are hopeful that the lower count of bags will continue as it shows that people are
taking more care in disposing of litter.
With the large number of volunteers out, it was possible to cover a much bigger area which included
from Classis to Carrigrohane, the Killumney Road , the Inniscarra Road, the Link Road as well as the
Town Centre.


The committee would like to thank those who are making an effort and in doing so they are making
a difference. In one case the owner of premises on the Main Street, which is presently unoccupied,
was approached by the committee with a view to getting the windows painted to take the bare
look off the windows. The owner agreed and a local lady was engaged to paint flowers etc on the
windows. The result has been fantastic and it has given the building a new look and the owner has to
be commended and is an example to others.


In the Tidy Estates Competition the second round of judging was completed this week. The standard
in the second round has been very high and has shown a major improvement on last year. The next
round will take place in the coming weeks and the results will be announced in October.
We have highlighted the problem of dog fouling regularly in the past and it is only fair to now
highlight the fact that the situation has improved immeasurably since the installation of the dog
fouling bins by the County Council. It is great to see that they are being used and it makes moving
about on foot so much more pleasurable for everybody.


During the week to Sunday 11th July we were out on project work. On the Tuesday we had 8
volunteers and picked 7 bags of litter and 7 green waste as well as getting to some grass cutting and
strimming. Unfortunately the weather was so wet on the Thursday that we could not go out that
evening.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays we meet at 7:00 sharp at Quish’s car park to take on project work, weather permitting of course. We could do more if we had more help so if anyone out there has an hour or two to spare on any of those evenings please consider joining us. The weekly Sunday morning litter picks also continue and we meet each Sunday morning at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am, so if you and help out then just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags.

 We are available to give any help or advice we can and we can be contacted at ballincolligtidy@gmail.com  or through Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore.
 

"BALLINCOLLIG WINS 200 TREES"

Courtesy of

The Evening Echo in association with Folláin

Thursday 8th July

Tonight's work night was called off due to the heavy rain which was unfortunate.  We had intended cutting back the overhanging "wild clematis" on the wall going from Gaelscoil Uí Riordain to the Footbridge to the Regional Park.  We have received numerous complaints about this overhanging from pedestrians so we will tackle it ASAP.

Monday 5th July

Our Sincere apologies for not updating for the last few weeks but we had some technical difficulties which have only just been sorted out thankfully so we will be back updating the site regularly.

Tuesday 15th June

Tonight a number of volunteers carried out a major clean up at the Greenfields Slip Road on the Ballincollig By pass in advance of the Cork Summer Show which takes place this weekend in Ballincollig.  Last year an estimated 10,000 people attended and this year the numbers are expected to surpass these.  The committee felt that with such large numbers coming into Ballincollig that this area needed to be tackled.  The work carried out was very noticeable when completed.

On this Thursday we will carry out a litter pick on the By pass and finish off the works on this area.

Sunday 13th June

This morning we had 25 volunteers for the weekly Sunday morning litter pick.  The Town centre was in a very bad state with litter as bins were overturned the night before.  We put a lot of bodies in that area as the wind had spread the papers.  Also covered were the Greenfields Roundabout, Cariginarra Road, The Link Road, Poulavone roundabout to Hobbs Farm, Station Road, Spine Road, and Main Street.  When all the litter was cleared we cleared kerbside weeds and cigarette butts from the main car park kerbs behind Main Street.  In total we collected 76 bags and recycled 9 bags.

On our project work during the week previous we had to cancel our plans on the Tuesday as the skies opened and the rain was just too heavy.  Having said that two brave souls still went out on Station Road to begin the clean up for the procession.  On the Thursday night however we made up for lost time.  14 volunteers turned up and we completed the road clean up on Station Road in advance of the Eucharist Procession on Saturday evening.  We also cleaned Baker Street including cutting the grass margin and verges as well as a litter pick in the Town centre.  The Youth House on Station Road got a blitzing with hedge cutters, strimmers and mowers.  On the night we collected a total of 54 bags and recycled 44 of those.  When the work was finished we headed to Inniscarra View to pick up a further 90 bags of green waste following work done in the estate by the residents. 

All in all a great weeks work which included the awarding of 200 mature trees to Ballincollig Tidy Towns on the Tuesday courtesy of The Evening Echo in association with Folláin.  We will get the trees in the Autumn and will place them in the community at appropriate locations.

The second round of the Cork County Council Inter Litter Challenge was judged on the 3rd of June.  The first round was a disaster when Ballincollig scored just 77 out of 100.  We appealed to everybody to make a better effort and we got that.  The businesses rowed in to help and our Town scored 89 out of 100 in the second round.  Even if we score well in the final round it is unlikely that Ballincollig can secure a prize.  However we must strive to keep up the better standard and even try to better the marks further.  A special mention is due to Colaiste Choilm as they scored 10 out of 10 in the schools category.  Also a big thank you to the residents of Castle Park who have made a huge effort over the past while and they scored 9 out of 10 in the residential category.  All areas of Main Street were much improved and of the marks lost it would appear that cigarette butts still account for the majority of all litter.  We rely therefore on the businesses to ensure that during the day and at the close of business the area outside their premises including the kerbs are given a quick sweep to clear the butts. 
 

Tuesday 8th June

Tonight's Clean Up had planned to tackle Station Road in advance of the Eucharist Procession which takes place this Saturday evening.  Unfortunately due to heavy downpours it was postponed however 2 hardy souls braved the elements and got a lot of work done. This work is now planned for Thursday evening commencing at 7pm

 

Sunday 6th June

Today we had 17 volunteers for the weekly Sunday morning litter pick.  The areas we covered were The Town Centre as usual and the length of the two main roads, Greenfields to Kilumney Road Roundabout and from Classis to Poulavone and also including the Link Road.  We collected a total of 42 bags and an xmas tree.  Recycled from that total were 10 bags and 9 of those were green waste.  Again this demonstrates the trend of reduced littering in Ballincollig as more ground is covered and less litter found. 

This is very pleasing but it would be even better if there was no litter at all.  We need to continue to request that all businesses, all residents and all visitors respect the Town and surrounding areas by not littering.  It is up to all of us to maintain current standards and to raise them where possible.

 

Thursday 3rd June

Tonight we completed the works on the Roundabout near EMCfor the time being. We strimmed the centre section of the roundabout which was completely overgrown and the result was very rewarding and it now looks very well.  While this was going on others swept up around the roundabout and the approach roads.  Once finished here we headed into Ballincollig to collect green waste as a result of people cutting back overgrown hedges.

Again while this was going on others carried out a litter pick in the Town Centre

Tuesday 1st June

Tonight as part of our weekly clean ups we had 15 volunteers out to help.  We tackled a number of areas including the cleaning of the road from the Eastgate to the GAA Club.  This road is in a very bad condition and with the volume of traffic using it on a regular basis it gives a bad impression of the area.  We were hoping for assistance from the GAA Club as the vast majority of the traffic is heading to their club and the Belle of Ballincollig is about to commence. We also tackled the dead weeds at the base of the old Barrack wall from The Oriel House to the entrance to the Ballincollig Shopping Centre Car Park.  Cork County Council sprayed the weeds but the dead stuff was never removed. This will be concluded on Thursday evening as time ran out for the Ladies who carried out the work.

Another group tackled the Roundabout near EMC² as it in a very bad way while another group tackled the kerbside on the Kilumney Road running from near the Geenfields Roundabout past Turin Glas.  In total 6 Tons yes 6 tons of soil, silt and dirt was removed.  The result is very visible and well overdue. We reused all of the removed soil etc as we are developing a bed for flowers further in that road.

While all of this was going on others carried out a litter pick in the Town Centre and also watered our recent plantings.

A great nights work by everyone but some extra support would be fantastic.  If only for 2 hours it would make a difference.

Sunday 30th May

Today we had 30 volunteers for the weekly Sunday morning litter pick.  The spell of fine weather had broken the day before and the morning was damp.  It was a worry for the committee as we had planned a major project for that morning.  We were returning to the Ballincollig by-pass to conduct a litter pick and needed the weather to be somewhat reasonable.  We had previously conducted a litter pick on the by-pass 5 to 7 weeks previously taking 2 Sundays and had collected over 140 bags in over 4 hours work in total.

Instead of meeting at 11:00 we gathered at 9:45 and by 10:00 am we were on the Ballincollig by-pass.  The operation was even better planned than previously and the volunteers worked in pairs in designated sections from Hobbs Yard at the Eastern side going west and from EMC² roundabout at the Western side going east.  It is hard to believe but that entire distance was picked, both the roadside and the grass boundaries in just over one hour.  The job went so well that it was decided to extend the pick heading west and the volunteers reached the very end of the by-pass near the Bridge Bar.  A total of 50 bags were collected.

Having done the job at hand the volunteers then descended on the Town and by midday had covered the entire length of Ballincollig from EMC² to Poulavone roundabout on both the Main Street and The Kilumney Road as well as the usual areas of the Town Centre.  A further 28 bags of litter were taken and this number of bags also represents a major reduction compared with the volumes collected earlier in the year.  After the very welcome cuppa it was back to work for a few committed (they should be) volunteers as there were more bags to be lifted from estate clean-ups conducted during the previous week.  33 bags of green waste were taken from various estates including Inniscarra View, Beech Road, Coolroe Meadows and Leesdale.

On the estates we remind everyone that the judging is now underway for the first round.  We advise that there will be a number of visits and in order to make the best impression we would ask once again that each resident take responsibility for the path and kerbside outside their own property.  A quick brush up to remove any weed growth and build up of dust and dirt will make all the difference.  This year we have noticed that residents are dumping green waste in boundary areas and again advise that this practice is totally illegal.  In the competition marking for 2010 there is a special category dealing with this problem.  Of the total available marks, approximately 15 percent will be lost if the judges find green waste dumped.  So if a resident persists in dumping they will in effect rule their estate out of the prizes.

On the Cork County Council Inter Town Litter Challenge it is with great disappointment that we must report that in the first round judging Ballincollig got hammered.  No point in dressing up this result as we scored just 77 points out of the 100 available.  The estate judged did extremely well in almost scoring full marks in their category but the areas of Main Street left us down completely.  We cannot believe the amount of litter quoted in the comments of the adjudicator as our volunteers had done a litter pick the previous night.  It would appear that cigarette butts would be the main problem and while we appeal to smokers to be more responsible in disposing of their butts properly we really need the help and co-operation of the businesses on the Main Street especially.  Please encourage your customers not to litter and it would be ideal if each proprietor did a brush up outside including the kerb each day. 

In our project work during the week to Sunday 30th we were involved in kerb cleaning, grass cutting and boundary maintenance at the West End roundabout, the traffic lights at Limeworth, the traffic lights at Carrigrohane, the East Gate and all of these on the stretch from Oaklands to Station Cross.  Over 2 nights we picked a trailer of hedging and 73 bags of other green waste as well as 20 bags of litter of which 1 bag was recycled.  Considering the major works on Main Street the Town still looks very well overall but definitely could be better if everybody put in an effort.  To all those that are currently doing their bit we say well done, keep it up and thank you. 

We  continue with the Tuesday and Thursday project work over the summer period.  Anyone that can spare an hour or two either night will be most welcome.  We meet at Quish’s Supervalu carpark at 7:00pm sharp.   
 

 

Tuesday 25th May

Tonight 18 volunteers turned up and with these numbers we were able to cover a lot of ground. One group headed to Parknamore where a ditch needed to be cut back.  Another two headed off to cut the overgrown grass between  Cariginarra and the entrance to Limeworth.

While another group headed to clean the stone wall between Oaklands and Station Road.  The result was magnificent and the hard work really paid off.

While this was going on another group carried a full litter pick around the town centre

A greats nights work was done by all and well done to everyone

These nights have been very successful to date and will continue every Tuesday and Thursday evenings commencing at 7pm.

Sunday 23rd May

This morning we had 25 volunteers out for the Sunday morning litter pick.  It was a very warm morning but the level of litter was not heavy and once again the majority of the Town and surrounding roads were covered.  From Apple Green through to Carrigrohane and from Greenfields through to the Kilumney Road roundabout were walked.  Also covered was from Poulavone roundabout to the By-pass, on to Hobbs yard and from there on the newly resurfaced Curraheen Road to Maglin Bridge and back to Station Cross via Maglin Road.  All the Town Centre was covered.

In the hour we picked 42 bags in total and from that we segregated 10 bags for recycling.  Estate clean-ups produced a further 27 bags of green waste.  Westcourt Heights are clearing a boundary area and doing a fine job.  Our thanks to the volunteer picking in the Regional Park as the area is looking very well and litter free for the most part.  Dog fouling is still a problem in the Regional Park and we must remind dog owners that they are responsible for picking up after the dog has done its business.

Our project work continued during the week and on Thursday we had 15 volunteers giving one to two hours to assist in various projects.  Grass was cut near the Eastgate in an area we cleared last year.  We also cut verges on Leo Murphy / Link Road.  Kerbs were cleared at the West Village and at other locations.  The work of the previous week at the Tidy Towns bronze signs locations was completed with the planting of bedding plants.  After a busy night we had just 4 bags of litter but we had 24 bags of green waste.  It is our intention to continue with the Tuesday and Thursday project work over the summer period.  Anyone that can spare an hour or two either night will be most welcome.  We meet at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 7:00pm sharp. 

Ballincollig Tidy Towns estates competition judging is now beginning.  Our other competitions are also underway and we would like to ask all residents and businesses to make a special effort to clear outside their homes and workplaces.  If everyone does their own piece it can only enhance the area and as well as looking good for judging it frees our volunteers to get to more projects and common areas.  We remind residents that as regards the appearance of gardens and homes we would ask residents to keep them litter free, with the grass cut and flowerbeds free of weeds as much as possible.  Any hedges that are encroaching on footpaths need to be cut back as they could be a hazard for pedestrians and cause accidents or injuries. Full Details are available on Local Competitions 2010   CLICK FOR DETAILS

 

Friday 21st May

Last evening our Chairman received a phone call to advise him that Ballincollig  was the winner of The Evening Echo Competition which was run in association with Folláin.

The Evening Echo in association with Folláin were offering 200 trees to the Community or Voluntary Group who collected the most Tokens from the Evening Echo between Monday 26th April and Friday 7th May. We teamed up with Ballincollig Business Association as well as our many volunteers and families  work colleagues to try and collect as many tokens as possible to be in with a chance of winning these trees for the community. We got a great reaction and the end result is that the community of Ballincollig will now gain from this great prize.

We will be contacted next week so that the trees can be presented etc.  Our thanks to everyone who helped us.

 

Thursday 20th May

Worknight this evening commencing at 7pm.  Meet at Quishe's Supervalu car park and people will be then allocated work areas.  All help appreciated

"Many hands make light work"

Wednesday 19th May

Congratulations and well done to the estates who are making a big effort by carrying out Clean Up's etc.  The effect is very noticeable and very worthwhile. The standard has certainly improved and there will be some interesting times ahead when the judging commences!!!!!

 

Tuesday 18th May

Unfortunately due to the rain this evening we had to cancel our worknight. But it is all systems go for Thursday evening at 7pm

 

Monday 17th May

The fine weather for most of last week has seen a further increase in people participating in estate clean-ups and saw the beginning of the Tidy Towns project evenings for the summer period.  Dealing first with the Sunday morning litter pick we are grateful that the numbers turning out is remaining high and yet again this year we had a new volunteer to help us out.  Over the last 6 months or so we have seen a great increase in the number of volunteers willing to commit some of their time to help the committee and more importantly to help improve the appearance of the area they live in.

Last Sunday 25 volunteers covered a large area of the Town and surrounding roads and collected a total of 46 bags and recycled 1 of those.  Also on Sunday the bags from estate clean-ups were collected from pre-designated areas and this meant an early start for a few able bodies.  A total of 91 bags of green waste were taken up and some of the bags were very heavy.  We would ask that the bags would not be filled too much as if they are too heavy it makes the collection much harder for the volunteers. 

We ask you to please continue with the great work and let us know if we can help with collections or any other related matter. Well done to the residents off  Avoncourt and Wyndham Downs for their hard work last week, the visual result is fantastic. 

The local competition judging starts in earnest in a weeks time and we would like to ask all residents and businesses to make a special effort to clear outside their homes and workplaces.  Usually silt and leaves can have built up against the base of walls and this leads to weed growth as well as being unsightly. 

If everyone does their own piece it can only enhance the area and frees our volunteers to get to more projects and common areas.  We realise that where road works are in progress that it is very difficult to maintain the base of walls and kerbs but we would consider any effort still worthwhile and definitely making a difference.  As regards the appearance of gardens and homes we would ask residents to keep them litter free, with the grass cut and flowerbeds free of weeds as much as possible.  Any hedges that are encroaching on footpaths need to be cut back as they could be a hazard for pedestrians and cause accidents or injuries.  

All our schools have put in a great effort over the last year and the gardens and waste management activities are an inspiration to the children and to us.  We perhaps take them for granted and do not give them enough recognition for the work they do outside the traditional academic studies.  So to all our principals, teachers, caretakers and pupils we in the Tidy Towns say a big thank you. 

For the evening project work on Tuesdays and Thursdays we began last week by clearing some overgrown areas and setting up some flowerbeds at the Bronze Medal signs that are located on the entrances to Ballincollig. 

On these evenings we meet up at 7:00 pm at Quish’s Supervalu car park to get our assignments.  We would welcome anybody that can spare any time on any of those evenings to lend a hand.

 Friday 14th May

Congratulations to the Green Flag Team in Scoil Eoin who were awarded their 4th Green Flag this morning.  This is a fantastic achievement by the school and one that they can be very proud of

"WELL DONE SCOIL EOIN"

 

Thursday 13th May

Tonight saw group of volunteers out for a worknight. Some people tackled litter while others continued placing the stones and topsoil around the Bronze Medal Signs.  We also tackled the roundabout  at the back of Greenfields and what a difference it made.  While all of this was going on another of our volunteers was grass cutting from Muskerry Estate to The White Horse on both sides of the road. If she had enough petrol she could have ended up in Ovens

Also our tokens for the Evening Echo / Folláin Trees Competition were dropped into the Evening Echo Office.  Our thanks to everyone who supported our effort. 

All of our committee and our volunteers play a very important role and no matter how much time they give it is all very worthwhile and much appreciated.

Tuesday 11th May

Tonight we carried out the first of our Weekly Tuesday Night Worknights and our thanks to those who turned up.  We tackled 4 areas namely a Litter Pick in the Town Centre, Grass Cutting on the Western Roundabout, Cleaning of kerbs and walls in the Coolroe Area and began making small flower beds around the National Tidy Towns Bronze Medal Signs at the approach to the town. The planting is the initiative of some of our volunteers and will enhance these signs even further.

Our next Work Night is Thursday at 7pm and those interested in attending are asked to meet at Quish's Supervalu Car Park at 7pm

Monday 10th May

Tonight we took a tour of the Estates in Ballincollig to see what the standard was like and everyone was very impressed.  Estates that were down the rankings last year have made a big effort which is very noticeable.  Unfortunately estates that traditionally have had a good standard have slipped.

One area which is a cause of concern for us is the level of dumping of Green Waste in estates. This is a major problem and those caught doing it can face a fine of €150 from the Anti Litter Unit of Cork County Council

The competition gets underway shortly and we will be letting people aware of the criteria this weekend.

Sunday 9th May

This morning we had a very busy morning.  Some of the committee began early with collections from some of the estates that had conducted clean-ups during the week.  For the rest the usual start time of 11:00 saw great numbers turning out.  In total we had 35 volunteers in action and they spread out to cover most areas of Ballincollig.  The mix of ages and backgrounds is amazing, from the young children to the Girl Guides to the adults from a variety of nationalities it all adds to the experience of a community looking after itself where possible.

On the normal litter pick alone a total of 55 bags were collected.  This seems a lot but all the volunteers remarked that there was not a lot of litter on our usual routes.  Most managed to cover more ground as a result.  For some there was a first time pick in a few areas not done before.  These areas are outside what we would consider our usual boundaries but to clear them of litter adds enormously to the entrance roads to the Town.  Extending the scope of the weekly pick is something we began last year and this is a large part of the reason that the bag numbers seem higher than one would expect on looking at the condition of the Town itself. 

As mentioned earlier we collected from estates also.  In total from these clean-ups combined with volunteers picking during the week a further total of 152 bags were lifted.  130 of these were recyclable with the majority being green waste.  Thanks to Inniscarra View, Classis Lake, Westcourt, Westcourt Heights, Castle Avenue, Castlepark and The Paddocks.  We know that others are also active and the improvement to the appearance of Ballincollig is marked.  It is great to see the dog fouling bins being used and we hope that this initiative will be a continued success.

All residents / businesses can assist us by ensuring that the area outside their boundary wall/fence is kept clear of weeds and dirt.  This problem seems to be evident in the West Village area from the Oriel House back to Hodders Villas and Coolroe.  People are asked to take responsibility for their areas as it will make a huge difference

Our midweek project work kicked off this week and we will report on those from next week on.  We use these evenings (Tuesdays and Thursdays) to get into some project work and that can vary from painting to grass cutting or clearing unsightly areas.  Again we ask for volunteers on these occasions and if you could not come to the Sunday mornings then you may be able to help us during the week instead.

 

Wednesday 5th May

A meeting took place tonight with over 30 of our volunteers to plan out our Tuesday and Thursday Work nights for the month of May.  Starting from next Tuesday night is is planned to have 3 teams working on different projects and to review the work at the end of May and then to meet again to plan out the projects for June.  The meeting was very enthusiastic which is very heartening.  If anybody would like to get involved on these work nights please contact any member of the committee on the contacts page

Monday 3rd May

A meeting will take place on Wednesday 5th May at 7.30pm in The Oriel House Hotel for all our volunteers to outline our plans for the coming year.

Sunday 2nd May

This mornings weekly pick had another new volunteer come along as well as a member of the Ballincollig Irish Girls Guides who is working on one of her Merit Badges.

It was a very successful and productive morning and great credit to the estates who have started working on their areas.  It all makes a difference.

This morning we collected 19 Bags of Green Waste as a result of a residents clean up in Westcourt Heights. Castlepark Residents have also being working hard and we collected 22Bags of Green Waste and 3 Bags of Rubbish. A clean up in the Powdermills areas yielded 4 bags of rubbish.  Coolroe Meadows Residents were out doing their usual Clean Up and this yielded 4 Bags of Rubbish and two bicycles.

The normal Litter Pick which stretched from St Oliver's Cemetery to Carrigrohane through the Town Centre taking in Station Road, the public car park and then out to Classis, We collected 19 Bags of rubbish 1 Hoover, 1 New Household Heat Meter, 2 Bags of Glass Items, 1 Bag of Cans and 1 Bag of Plastic Items

 Given the number of volunteers we can now cover a large area every Sunday and the results are fantastic and very rewarding.

As always the more volunteers we have the more we can get done so feel free to come along any Sunday at 11am to Quish's Supervalu

Friday 30th April

Are you a dog owner? Do you think that dog fouling is unsightly? Did you know that dog fouling is a health risk? Did you know that dog faeces carries harmful infections, the most widely known being Toxocariasis? Did you know that human toxocariasis is a potentially serious infection that can last for between 6 months and 2 years? Did you know that this can cause eye disorders, asthma, epileptic fits and dizziness? Did you know the infection can be passed from the wheels of children’s toys, soles of shoes etc? Did you know that the most common group to be seriously affected is children between 18 months and 5 years? Did you know that dog owners have legal responsibilities to clean up after their dog under the Litter Pollution Act 1997?

 

Ballincollig, like most other towns and cities all over Ireland, has a serious problem with dog fouling. This problem is as a result of a large number of people not taking responsibility for cleaning up after their dog fouls. Under Section 22 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997, it is an offence to allow a dog under your control to foul a public place. This means that you, or the person in charge of your dog, is required under this law to remove dog faeces and dispose of it in a suitable and sanitary way.

 

Cork County Council and Ballincollig Tidy Towns have been very aware of this problem in the area and have come together to launch a joint initiative in an effort to remove the problem in the community. During the next week Cork County Council will be erecting 9 special Dog Fouling Bins throughout Ballincollig. Initially the bins will be placed in strategic locations where large numbers of people walk on a very regular basis.

Launching the initiative, Ken O’Riordan, Senior Executive Engineer for Cork County Council in Ballincollig, said that dog fouling is very unpleasant, a nuisance and can be a serious public health issue especially for young children and we in Cork County Council are very pleased to be working with Ballincollig Tidy Towns on this project. “We are very aware that a large number of dog owners take their responsibilities seriously and clean up after their dogs, but there is a large number who don’t and this issue needs to be addressed. People may not be aware that an on-the-spot fine of €150 can be imposed on the owner of a dog who fouls a public place, with the maximum fine for this offence being €3,000,” said Mr O’Riordan.

Tom Butler, Chairman of Ballincollig Tidy Towns, said that Ballincollig is very lucky to have so many areas where people can walk safely and this is spoilt by people allowing their dog to foul, not only on the footpaths, but also on green areas. “It is not ok to let your dog ‘do it’s business’ on the grass verge beside a footpath or on a green area in an estate. Allowing dogs to foul on these areas can affect children and they are the group most susceptible as their immune systems are underdeveloped, and risks of contamination are higher when they play outdoors in their neighbourhoods,” said Mr Butler.

Tim O’Sullivan from Cork County Council Dog Control Service said that the provision of these Dog Fouling Bins is a welcome addition to the public footpaths of Ballincollig and he encouraged more people to avail of them. ”A simple method for cleaning up after your dog is to carry a nappy sack. Boxes of nappy sacks are available from the local shops for approximately €??? and contain 200 bags. All people have to do is pick it up, tie the bag and dispose of it in the nearest Dog Fouling Bin,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

Ballincollig Tidy Towns sees these bins as a hugely important addition to the streetscape of Ballincollig. Now the responsibility lies with people in charge of dogs to clean up after them; no longer can they use the excuse that there is nowhere to put their dog waste. The Dog Control Service and the Anti Litter Unit from Cork County Council will be monitoring the situation a lot more frequently so, the simple message is ‘clean up or pay up’.

 

 

Tuesday 27th April

WE NEED YOUR TOKENS

The Evening Echo in association with Folláin are offering 200 trees to the Community or Voluntary Group who collect the most Tokens from the Evening Echo between Monday 26th April and Friday 7th May.  Ballincollig Business Association have teamed up with Ballincollig Tidy Towns to try and collect as many tokens as possible to be in with a chance of winning these trees for the community.  People are asked to collect as many tokens as possible and drop them into Ballincollig Credit Union or give them to any member of the BBA or BTT.

This is a great opportunity to try and get some trees for Ballincollig which will benefit the community for many years to come.

All Assistance Would Be Greatly Appreciated

Sunday Morning Litter Pick & A Cuppa!!!!

 

Monday 26th April

Today Cork County Council commenced putting up 11 Dog Fouling Bins around Ballincollig in a combined effort to deal with the nuisance of dog fouling.  Those in control of dogs are responsible for cleaning up after their dogs.  Both Cork County Council and Ballincollig Tidy Towns urges people to take their responsibilities seriously.  One of the simplest methods for removing the Dog Fouling is to use Nappy Disposal Bags which are available in both Down's and Quish's Supervalu

The Dog Control Unit from Cork County Council will be spending a lot more time in Ballincollig from today on to help encourage the use of the new bins

 

 Sunday 25th April

Once again we had a great crowd for our Sunday morning litter pick with 25 souls giving their time voluntarily.  Initially the morning was very wet and it looked as though we may have to cancel.  However, at 10:30 the rain lifted and by 12:00 we were fairly hot given that we had dressed for rain.  Many thanks to our dedicated volunteers and we welcomed our second volunteer in as many weeks from Turin Glas on Greenfields Road. 

In the end we had 45 bags and collected a further 22 from estates clean-ups done during the week, giving a total of 67 bags.  In that 67 we had 23 for recycling.  A lot of the main streets were covered but not all.  Areas covered were from Greenfields to the Kilumney Road roundabout, Maglin Road (including a dumping blackspot), Curraheen Road from Maglin Bridge to Hobbs Farm, Hobbs Farm to Poulavone Roundabout, Poulavone  to St. Oliver's Cemetery via Model Farm Road, Poulavone Roundabout to Killumney Road Roundabout, The New Spine Road, Wyndham Downs to Colaiste Choilm, Station Road, The Square, Harrington Street/Saclay Road and Baker Street.

In conjunction with An Taisce’s National Spring Week initiative we had a further 6 estates conducting their own clean-ups.  Well done to the residents of Westcourt Heights, Cois Na Coire/The Ranges, Inniscarra View, Coolroe Meadows and Classis Lake who all carried out Clean Ups of their areas this week.  The results are fantastic and make such a difference. 

Some have been out twice or more and for some they are just getting started.  It is not too late to organise a clean-up and as the local estates competition is to start in just 4 weeks we take this opportunity to advise everyone that the initial pre judging inspection will take place in all estates this coming week.  This may have a bearing on the final outcome for the prizes so try to get out and do a little as every bit will help. 

The competition criteria are decided and we can forward these to anyone once we have a contact name and address in the estates, so please get in touch.  We are available to give any help or advice we can and we can be contacted at Ballincolligtidy@gmail.com or through Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore. 

The very successful weekly Sunday morning litter picks will continue and as usual we meet each Sunday morning at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am, so if you can help out just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags.

 

Friday 23rd April

Well done to the residents of Classis Lake, Westcourt Heights, Cois Na Coire, Inniscarra View and Coolroe Meadows who all carried out Clean Ups of their areas this week.  The results are fantastic and make such a difference.  It is amazing how much a little community spirit can make to an area.

Thursday 22nd April

Dog Fouling is unsightly and also is a major health risk especially to young children.  It is also illegal as the dog owner or the person in charge of the dog is responsible for cleaning up after the dog.

Over the coming weeks full details of a joint initiative between Ballincollig Tidy Towns and Cork County Council will be announced to tackle this problem in Ballincollig. 

Monday 19th April

Yesterday was our normal Weekly Clean Up and what a difference it made.  Throughout the week it was remarked by a number of people about the litter around the area.  This was because last Sunday we concentrated our efforts on the Ballincollig By pass.

Yesterday 25 volunteers collected 50 Bags of Litter 3 Bags of Cans (Some still unopened) 4 Bags of plastic, 2 bags of glass and 1 bag of wood.

10 of these bags were as a result of a Spring Clean by the residents of Inniscarra View. They have to be congratulated for their efforts

During this time we also managed to finish off the last section of the By pass.  Driving now along the Ballincollig By pass from the Eastern Slip to the Ballincollig West Slip to EMC it is very noticeable how clean it is as a result of our Clean Up's We appeal to motorists to stop throwing items from their cars. Please keep them in your vehicles until you get home or to a litter bin. 

 

Sunday 18th April

Today was our normal Weekly Clean Up and what a difference it made.  Throughout the week it was remarked by a number of people about the litter around the area.  This was because on the Sunday previous  we concentrated our efforts on the Ballincollig By pass.

We had 25 volunteers out for the hour and some even went earlier.  In total we collected 83 Bags of waste and from that 33 Bags were recyclable.  20 of these bags were as a result of a Spring Clean by the residents of Inniscarra View. They have to be congratulated for their efforts

During this time we also managed to finish off the last section of the By pass.  Driving now along the Ballincollig By pass from the Eastern Slip to the Ballincollig West Slip to EMC it is very noticeable how clean it is as a result of our Clean Up's.  We appeal to motorists to stop throwing items from their cars.  Please keep them in your vehicles until you get home or to a litter bin. 

The National Spring Clean drive for this month of April continues.  We once again appeal to all the residents to support us.  About 10 estates have conducted clean ups this month and we hope many more will take the opportunity to do so as well.  Our group do not have the manpower to go into each estate so we rely on residents to look after their own areas.  We are available to give any help or advice we can and we can be contacted at ballincolligtidy@gmail.com

Work done now will help your estate in the local Estates competition and that is to commence judging in 5 weeks time.  The competition criteria are decided and we can forward these to anyone once we have a contact name and address in the estates, so please get in touch.

The very successful weekly Sunday morning litter picks will continue and as usual we meet each Sunday morning at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am, so if you can help out just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags.

 

Loads of it everywhere

In the gutter, it’s just not fair

Tossed on the ground

Thrown all around

Easily sorted, it’s simple

Reduce, re-use recycle!

 

Thursday 15th April

Dog Fouling is unsightly, unpleasant and can be a serious health risk. Ballincollig Tidy Towns and the Ballincollig Engineers Office of Cork County Council have come together with a Joint Initiative to try and tackle this serious problem.

Full Details Will Be Announced Next Week

Wednesday 14th April

This evening Ballincollig Business Association held a function in The Oriel House Hotel to present the prizes for the winning entries in Ballincollig's St Patrick's Day Parade. Ballincollig Tidy Towns received 3rd Place for its float and great credit is due to Pat Clarke and Kieran O'Shea for their work on the float.  Also great credit to the volunteers who carried out a clean up before and after the parade and also walked in it looking splendid in their new High Vis Jackets

 

Sunday 11th April

This morning Ballincollig Tidy Towns played its part for National Spring Clean 2010. 

"Operation Spring Clean Ballincollig Bypass"

Ballincollig By pass was the project to be tackled and cleaned.  We had previously picked a good part of the By pass but now asked for a special effort to cover the entire area from the flyover at the Eastern side to the flyover at EMC2 on the Western side of Ballincollig (A Distance of 5km approx on the N22) This involved an earlier start at 10:00 am and we had 25 volunteers turning out with a further 5 going to deal with the town centre.

It was definitely the finest day of the year so far and after a great effort a total of 97 bags was the end result.  Other notable items picked were 3 car tyres, 1 large tractor tyre (how can anyone lose one of those) 25 damaged hub caps, an assortment of bonnet and bumper parts, a wallet (handed in to the Ballincollig Garda Station) two badly damaged mobile phones, a bag of clothes and a television.  Strangely we are still finding Xmas trees and we also discovered 5 election posters

Between the posters and the legacy of tie wraps maybe Ballincollig County Council Engineers Office should consider a ban on election posters for future elections. 

All in all it was a great mornings work, well worth doing with great results and thanks to all the motorists that acknowledged us on the job.

As we stated previously we are supporting the National Spring Clean drive for this month and we would appeal to all the residents to support us.  We are suggesting that Ballincollig will hold an Estates Spring Clean initiative on Saturday next the 17th April.  For help and advice we can be contacted at Ballincolligtidy@gmail.com or through Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore.  Work done now will help your estate in the local Estates competition which will commence judging in 6 weeks time.  The competition criteria are decided and we can forward these to anyone once we have a contact name and address in the estates, so please get in touch.

 

Easter Sunday 2010.

This morning 18 volunteers took time away from their Easter Eggs to take part in the weekly litter pick.  In all 28 Bags were collected in one hour. The Litter Pick covered from Classis to Poulavone Roundabout and from St Oliver's Cemetery along Model Farm Road to Poulavone Roundabout.  We also covered from Hobbs Yard to Maglin Bridge and all of the Town Centre as well as the Spine Road. We all adjourned to the Oriel House Hotel for a cup of hot tea or coffee and chocolates as it was Easter Sunday. 

Saturday 3rd  April

As April is National Spring Clean Month we encourage all estates to carry  carry out their own Spring Clean and to let us know about them so we can inform An Taisce.  These Clean Ups will be recorded in the 2010 records.  Congratulations to the residents of Rosewood, Cois Na Coire and Coolroe Meadows who have already carried out their Spring Cleans.

Friday 2nd April

One of our main fundraising initiatives each year is what is called our "Window Sticker Campaign"  In summary we ask all the businesses and other organisations within Ballincollig for a donation towards our work for the year.  In return we send them a Window Sticker which shows that they have supported us. We also put the names of those who supported us up on our Sponsors Page on this website. The response each year is very positive and we sincerely hope that people will support us again this year

 

Tuesday 30th March

Last Sunday we had 30 volunteers for the weekly Sunday morning hour of litter picking.  It was a beautiful sunny morning and everyone set out in good spirits.  We welcomed Laura from Greenfields and she has joined us as part of her Gaisce program.  We also had 3 small children, accompanied by their parents of course.  This is most welcome as our children are our future and to see them being encouraged to play a part in their community at such a young age can only add to their development as well as for the good of the town.  The teas and coffees laid on by the Oriel House was a lively affair afterwards and we are continually grateful for their marvellous hospitality.

With the large number out and from picks done during the week we covered all the main thoroughfares of Ballincollig from John A. Woods to Poulavone as well as the Town Centre and other roads and streets.  A total of 45 bags were collected and when segregated we were able to recycle 9 bags.

The residents of Rosewood Estate organised a clean up in their own estate during the week and its easy to see how they are one of the tidiest estates in Ballincollig.  A well supported clean up resulted in a further 18 bags to be added to the count.  We would ask all residents in Ballincollig to consider organising clean ups in April.  April this year is once again the dedicated month for the National Spring Clean and is co-ordinated by An Taisce for the 12th year in succession.

Anyone can get involved from Community groups, Schools, Youth groups, Businesses to Local authorities.  An Taisce can be contacted for a starter pack by registering online at www.nationalspringclean.org or if you wish contact Ballincollig Tidy Towns at ballincolligtidy@gmail.com .  If you have done a clean up or you are organising one please let us know as we will give feedback to An Taisce at the end of the month.  We can also give some assistance in organising the collection from participating areas but it would need to be in bags.  Please keep recyclable materials separate such as glass, plastic bottles and cans.

Any group that needs help or advice are most welcome to get in touch with us as above or through Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore.

The very successful weekly Sunday morning litter picks will continue and as usual we meet each Sunday morning at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am, so if you can help out just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags.

 

BE A GREEN BEAN, KEEP BALLINCOLLIG SQUEAKY CLEAN

 

Friday 19th March

Last Sunday  we had 27 volunteers for the hour of litter picking.  This is the largest turnout this year so far and included a few new additions to the ranks so thanks to all for the extra help.  We concentrated mainly on the Town centre area and primarily dealing with the scourge of cigarette butts.  Many of the litterbins have cigarette receptacles on top and combined with the wall-hung ashtrays supplied outside public houses and other business premises there is no excuse to discard the butts on the streets.   Butts are litter and are extremely hard to pick up once discarded.  We appeal to all smokers to use the trays provided and help us keep Ballincollig clean and tidy.

 

The hours work combined with the clearance of a litter blackspot just off Castle Road produced a total bag count of 59 and 16 bags of that went to recycling after the waste was segregated.  Also another blackspot in Ballyburden was tackled during the week and 20 bags were collected there.  Let the message go out that dumping any type of waste is just not acceptable and persons caught dumping are subject to fines.  Driving through the Estates it is noticeable that the majority have taken action on litter and the whole of Ballincollig is looking better for that.  We are encouraged that persons from areas outside the Town are commenting favourably on the effort and the results our group is achieving and it is heartening that some are now becoming active in their own areas.

Already this year we have 4 new areas adopted by volunteers and they are maintaining those each week.   This saves our Sunday morning team having to cover those places and enables us to concentrate on other areas that need attention.  Some Estates have cleaned the kerbs of silt and early weed growth and it would be great if more could look to do that this early in the year.  Any group that needs help or advice are most welcome to get in touch with us.  Contact on any Tidy Towns matter can be made through Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore.

 

Thursday 18th March

Ballincollig Tidy Towns entry into the St Patrick's Day Parade received an award for their float.  Well done to Pat Clarke and Kieran O'Shea for the fantastic effort they put in preparing the float.

 

Wednesday 17th March

Ballincollig Tidy Towns took part in Ballincollig's St Patricks Day Parade and highlighted the importance of the 3 R's Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.  Pat Clarke and Kieran O'Shea put in a major effort in preparing the float for the parade.  Early in the morning a huge number of volunteers took to the streets to carry out a major litter pick in the town and again after the parade they took to the streets for the clean up.

Thursday 11th March

The 2010 An Taisce's National Spring Clean has just been launched.  This initiative is now in its 12th Year and gets underway for the month of April.  Having achieved its highest participation levels to date in 2009, sights are being set even higher for this year's campaign.

Last year's National Spring Clean involved more than 500,000 volunteers for the first time (imagine that number is compared to filling Croke Park 6 times) An Taisce would like to thank everyone who was involved for helping them reach this important landmark.  These volunteers turned out for 5058 clean up events throughout the country.  An Taisce are looking forward to an even more event filled month of April this year with the help of YOU - the Volunteers.

 

Ballincollig Tidy Towns will be supporting National Spring Clean 2010 and will be looking for areas to carry out the Clean Ups.  If you have an area which you think should be tackled in Ballincollig please contact any member of the committee and we will look at it.  Alternatively email us at ballincolligtidy@gmail.com

 

Sunday 7th March

Weekly Litter Pick will take place at 11am from the meeting point in the car park at Quish's Supervalu

Monday 1st March

As the longer evenings and brighter mornings are moving in past the urge to get back outside is thankfully growing.  While it is still very cold it is nice to see estates back out doing Clean Up's and preparing for the coming year.  Like the hurlers and footballers you have to prepare if you want silverware in September so some estates must already have their eyes on the "Lena Down Memorial Trophy"

As always if estates want advice or assistance please contact us at ballincolligtidy@gmail.com

 

Thursday 25th February

Sometimes a volunteer can become a little fed up travelling the same old patch and picking up other people’s rubbish.  So why continue?  If an area improves over time then it shows us that a difference can be made.  Doing well in competitions such as the National Tidy Towns or IBAL gives a sense of satisfaction.  However even those pale into insignificance when placed alongside local recognition.  On an ongoing basis the encouragement and support from many residents and businesses in Ballincollig and indeed in surrounding areas gives the team of volunteers a lift. 

Today the work and dedication of the Ballincollig Tidy Towns team was formally recognised by Cork County Council.  We were invited to a Civic Reception held in our honour in County Hall by the County Mayor, Cllr Derry Canty.  Mayor Canty addressed the group in the Council Chamber and thanked us for the great efforts made over a sustained period of years in Ballincollig.  Ballincollig’s Local Area Engineer, Mr Ken O’Riordan and the Council’s Director of Services Ms Patricia Power reinforced his kind words in further addresses to the group.

Our Chairman  Mr Tom Butler replied on behalf of our group and accepted a gift presented by Mayor Canty on behalf of Cork County Council in recognition of the work of Ballincollig Tidy Towns. 

After the presentation we enjoyed some refreshments and a tour to the 17th floor of the building.  There are certainly some wonderful views of both city and county at that height.  All agreed that it was a lovely evening and all appreciated the formal acknowledgement from the Council of the work done for the community of Ballincollig.

 

Pictures Courtesy of Tom Doherty

 

Tuesday 23rd February

Cork County Council through the County Mayor Cllr Derry Canty has invited the committee and volunteers of Ballincollig Tidy Towns to County Hall for a Civic Reception this Thursday. This great honour is in recognition of the achievements of Ballincollig Tidy Towns in the National Tidy Towns Competition and also in the Irish Business Against Litter National League.

 

Sunday 14th February Valentines Day

As usual our volunteers were out in force even though it was Valentines Day.  After the litter pick it was back to the Oriel House for a well deserved cuppa and a biscuit.  Given the day that was in it there was an extra treat for people as the committee had also provided plates of chocolates.  As people were finishing up the Chairperson presented each of the ladies with a red rose from the committee.  The men were feeling left out so they were also given a rose to take home.

 

Saturday 13th February

The newly elected committee for 2010 are as follows

Chairperson Tom Butler

Vice Chairperson Pat Clarke

Secretary Con O'Sullivan

Assistant Secretary Margaret Hughes

Treasurer Tadg Murphy

PRO. Kieran O'Shea

Committee

Geraldine Drohan

Brendan Murphy

Diarmuid Horgan

Eugene O'Donovan

Orla Seymour

 

Thursday 11th February

Our Annual General Meeting took place last night in The Oriel House Hotel.  Details of the officers and other items will be posted on the website shortly

 

Friday 5th February

Despite  the overcast day there was a brightness around Poulavone Roundabout at midday as a group of people gathered from Cork County Council, Ballincollig Business Association, Ballincollig Tidy Towns and from The Irish Tree Centre Co. Ltd.  This group was gathered to oversee the planting of 3 beautiful Weeping Silver Birch Trees (Betula Pend Youngi)   . These trees were a gift to the people of Ballincollig by Peadar and Tatyana Collins of the Irish Tree Centre Co from Killdorrery Co Cork in recognition of Ballincollig's results in the 2009 IBAL Anti Litter League 

These trees with a life expectancy of circa 150 years "are a living monument to the people of Ballincollig and to those in particular with Ballincollig Tidy Towns for their continued success in the IBAL Competition" said Peadar

Group Pictured at Poulavone Roundabout for the Planting of the Weeping Silver Birch Trees last Friday.  The Trees were a gift from The Irish Tree Centre in Killdorrery

 

Thursday 4th  February

For the last few weeks we have been carrying out some upgrading of our website but we are now back up and running and will be updating the website each week. A new feature of this page is that if you click on Newsletters 2010 this will take you to a calendar and each weeks notes are then available by clicking on the date. We will be making some more changes over the coming weeks to make it even better.

Sunday 17th January

The first littler pick of 2010

 

Saturday  16th January

Due to the very bad weather conditions last Sunday we had to defer our first litter pick of 2010 until tomorrow morning at 11am

We will meet at Quish's Car Park and afterwards adjourn for a cup of tea or coffee in The Oriel House Hotel.

All welcome

 

Tuesday 5th January

The first official Sunday morning litter pick for 2010 is on this Sunday.  We meet as usual at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am, weather permitting.  Just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags. Afterwards we adjourn for a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit to the Oriel House Hotel.  The refreshments are kindly sponsored by Quishe's Supervalu and The Oriel House Hotel.

New Volunteers are very welcome

 

Monday 4th January 2010

Ballincollig has emerged as the cleanest town in Cork according to the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) Anti Litter League. Ballincollig jumped from 15th place to 11th in the National League of 60 towns. In Cork Fermoy was placed at 27th, Midleton 32nd Youghal 36th, Cobh 36th, Cork City 50th and Mallow at 58th.

Great credit is due to everyone involved and especially to the Volunteers who carry out litter picks week in week out.  Their dedication is fantastic and shows their commitment to our community. Great credit is also due to the Ballincollig County Council workers who do tremendous work on an ongoing basis.

This has been a fantastic start to 2010 for Ballincollig Tidy Towns and for the whole community of Ballincollig

 

Thursday 31st December 2009

The final league table for Irish Business Against Litter will be announced on Monday 4th January

Tuesday 29th December

While our "official" Litter Picks are on stop until Sunday 10th January one of the volunteers is still at it .Despite the icy conditions he was out St Stephen's Day and every day since picking litter in the mornings.  The result is that he picked two bags each day on the Main Street mainly around the Fast Food premises.

 

Sunday 20th December

Today was our last official Sunday morning litter pick for 2009.  These litter picks have been going every Sunday since early January of this year. Rain, hail or snow the volunteers have been out and without a shadow of doubt the results have been fantastic and great credit is due to each of them for their commitment and dedication.

After the Litter Pick we all adjourned to The Oriel House Hotel for our usual cup of tea and given the time of year the hotel kindly laid on mince pies and cream for everyone.

Saturday 19th December

Today saw the last major clean up / cutting back for our group for 2009.  We tackled three areas which had been in need of cutting back for some time and after complaints from pedestrians.  The two footpath areas were near Colaiste Choilm and on the Western side of Ballincollig near the entrance to Muskerry Estate.  In both areas there were plants which were impeding the footpaths and causing pedestrians to step out onto the road which is unacceptable.

The other area was in The Paddocks Estate which is used as a shortcut by many people but especially by students of Ballincollig Community School.

In the area near Colaiste Choilm and in The Paddocks the amount of litter that was made visible after the cutting back was incredible.  We discovered sandwiches still in the wrappers with mould growing on them, numerous empty plastic bottles, sweet wrappers and wrappers from items bought in local shops. This matter will be addressed early in 2010 and with a small bit of co-operation we feel that it can be overcome.

Area of footpath near Colaiste Choilm Before & After Clean Up by BTT Members

 

Area of footpath in West Village Before & After Clean Up by BTT Members

 

Monday 14th December

Today we finally received our 2009 National Tidy Towns Bronze Medal and our Highly Commended County Award.  4 of our committee attended a ceremony in The Malton Hotel Killarney which was organised by Fáilte Ireland and The Department of the Environment, Local Government and Heritage.

Very shortly people will be able to see all the awards that the Community of Ballincollig has been awarded over the last 10 years as they will be going on display in Ballincollig Shopping Centre

Pictured below are the committee members at the Awards Ceremony

Back Row L-R Dan O’Mahony Supervalu, Kieran O’Shea BTT Diarmuid Horgan BTT Jane D’Arcy Fáilte Ireland Veronica O’Connor Fáilte Ireland

Seated Tom Butler BTT Minister of State for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Michael Finnernan TD, Pat Clarke BTT

 

Tom Butler Chairman Ballincollig Tidy Towns receiving the National Tidy Towns Bronze Medal from Minister of State for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Michael Finnernan TD and Veronica O’Connor Fáilte Ireland   and Dan O’Mahony Supervalu

 

 

Monday 7th December

Yesterday 18 volunteers turned out for the weekly Sunday morning litter pick.  We were lucky as it remained dry just for the hour.  A total of 44 bags were collected including 6 segregated for recycling.  It also included 10 bags from a pick done on Maglin Road by two new volunteers and we are delighted to have them on board as it fills another gap in the areas we can regularly get to.

 

 

Saturday 5th December

For our Volunteers

Snowflakes melt alone - but together they can be traffic stoppers!

     Teamwork allows common people to attain uncommon results.

     Some people want it to happen, some wish it to happen, others make it happen.

     Volunteers aren't paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.
Anonymous

 

 

Friday 4th December

 

Mayor of Cork County  Cllr Derry Canty presenting Ballincollig Tidy Towns Chairperson Tom Butler with Ballincollig's Award

 in the

 2009 Cork County Council Anti Litter Challenge

 

Friday 4th December

Ballincollig road structure has been severely affected for the last number of months due to the construction of the Ballincollig Green Route and also extensive works on the sewage and water works.  Thankfully this construction will cease this evening until the middle of January to allow  traffic to revert to a two way system.  If you want any more information on the green route check out  www.ballincolliggreenroute.com

 

Thursday 3rd December

On November 17 we were due to travel to Killarney to receive our 2009 Bronze Medal.  Unfortunately due to the dramatic flooding the hotel that we were to travel to was severely damaged and in the interests of peoples safety the event was postponed. It has been rescheduled for Monday 14th December in the Malton Hotel Killarney. We will now be able to collect the 2009 Bronze Medal and the Highly Commended County Award that Ballincollig won in the 2009 National Tidy Towns Competition.  This will be our 3rd Bronze Medal and it is a proud moment for the committee, the volunteers and the Community as a whole.

These awards along with the others we have received in the past will be put on display in Ballincollig Shopping Centre for everyone to see what Ballincollig as a community has achieved.

 

Sunday 29th November

Today Sunday, November 29th, we again had 14 volunteers for the weekly Sunday morning litter pick.  The weather was cold but the rain just held off.  A total of 32 bags were collected including 9 for recycling and 4 bags from kerb cleaning. To date we have collected over 2,000 bags in 2009 and we will give a full breakdown in the New Year.

We will be taking a short break over the Christmas period but we will continue for the next few weeks, meeting as usual at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am each Sunday, weather permitting.  Just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags.

 

Sunday 22nd November

Today Sunday 22nd November, we had 14 volunteers for the weekly Sunday morning litter pick.  Despite poor enough weather conditions 32 bags were collected.  Due to the wet and dirty condition of the litter we were able to recycle just one bag.  Following our request of the previous week we also had 14 bags of leaves taken from the kerbside by some of the residents of an estate.  To check out the value of composting and how to do it, we have put together a comprehensive document on composting and this is available on our web page at www.ballincolligtidytowns.ie .

 

Due to the very bad conditions over the past while we have been unable to pursue some projects we had intended to tackle.  They will need to wait until the weather improves again and we will let people know when we are starting.  We would appreciate any extra volunteers for those projects so please keep us in mind even if you cannot get out to help us at present.

 

We are trying to keep the weekly Sunday morning litter picks going for as long as we can and great credit is due to all the volunteers for their efforts to date.  We meet as usual at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am each Sunday, weather permitting.  Just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags.

 

 

 

Thursday 19th November

Tomorrow 4 members of our committee travel to Killarney to collect the 2009 Bronze Medal and the Highly Commended County Award that Ballincollig won in the 2009 National Tidy Towns Competition.  This will be our 3rd Bronze Medal and it is a proud moment for the committee, the volunteers and the Community as a whole

Tuesday 17th November

 As part of our ongoing work we aim to provide information to people so that it will assist them in helping the environment.  Over the coming weeks we will be providing information on Compost and how to get the best out of it and more importantly how to make it.  One of the first we deal with is Leaf Mould Compost.  All of us are well aware of the vast quantities of leaves that have fallen at the moment.  Over the years we have put these leaves to good use and gathered them and used them later as excellent compost.  On the plus side its free and that can't be bad.  We hope that you find this information helpful and informative.

                Leaf Mould Compost.

      

       Falling autumn leaves can become a nuisance, especially when you are constantly raking them from your lawn and flower beds. Instead of putting them in your wheelie bin, - which can be quiet expensive – or tearing your hair out in frustration, why not consider turning the leaves into leaf mould, which can later be used as an excellent compost which you can use as a mulch or dig into the ground as a soil conditioner.

         

          What is leaf mould.

          Leaf mould is very simply the result of letting leaves sit and decompose over a period of time. It is dark brown or black, and has a pleasant earthy aroma and a crumbly texture, very much like compost. In reality leaf mould is just that; composted leaves. In this case you just add leaves to the pile without adding any other organic matter. This is very simple to make and is one of the best and cheapest soil enrichers available. Leaf mould is a good soil improver, lawn conditioner and mulch. It  can also be used in seed and potting mixes.

 

What are the benefits of Leaf Mould.

You are probably wondering at this stage why you should not simply put all your leaves into your regular compost heap instead of having two separate heaps. The answer is that while compost is wonderful for improving soil texture and fertility, leaf mould is far superior as a soil conditioner. Leaf mould does not provide very much in the way of nutrition, so you will still need to add compost or other organic fertilizers to increase fertility. Leaf mould is essentially a soil conditioner. It increases the water retention in soils. According to some university studies it has been shown that the addition of leaf mould increased water retention in soils by over 50%. Leaf mould also improves the soil structure and provides a fantastic habitat for soil life, including earthworms and beneficial bacteria.

 Which leaves can I use ?

Almost any leaves from deciduous trees and shrubs can be used for composting  but some will rot down faster than others. Oak and beech will compost very quickly, while sycamore and horse chestnut leaves will take a bit longer. The leaves from conifers and evergreen trees – holly, laurel and Leyland cypress are such examples - can take up to three years to compost down fully, so you are better off to put these through a shredder and then use them in your regular compost heap.

 

      How do I go about making leaf mould.

    There are two popular ways of making leaf mould, and both are ridiculously simple. What you must keep in mind is that leaf mould does not happen overnight. Leaves are basically all carbon, which takes a lot longer to break down than nitrogen – rich materials such as grass clippings. It takes from six to twelve months for the decomposition process to take place. However, this is six to twelve months during which very little work has to be put into it by the gardener. If you wish to speed up the decomposition you can put the leaves through a shredded or run your lawn mower over them to break the leaves into smaller pieces.

 

     A very simple method of making leaf mould is to collect the leaves and put them into plastic bags. Make small holes in the sides and bottom of the bag to assist air circulation and to help drainage, thus preventing the leaves becoming slimy. The leaves should then be moistened to help with decomposition. The top of the bag can be tied loosely.

 

  The second method consists of either piling the leaves in a corner of the garden, or in a wooden or wire bin. All you need is four stout stakes and a roll of galvanized chicken wire.  The pile or bin should be at least three feet wide and high. Pile up your leaves, and thoroughly dampen the entire pile. Let it sit, checking the moisture level occasionally during dry periods and thoroughly dampening the entire pile as necessary. Use a shovel or garden fork to turn your leaf pile every couple of weeks. If you are using the plastic bag method then you can turn it over and give it a firm shake every couple of weeks to introduce air into the process which speeds up decomposition.

 

         

          How can I use leaf mould compost.

 Open the bags next autumn and you will find that the leaves have changed into a crumbly material that is ideal to be used as mulch, helping to lock in soil moisture and to prevent weeds from germinating. At this stage the compost is still recognizable as leaves. The leaves are beginning to break up and are easily crumbled in the hand. It can now be used to mulch around shrubs, herbaceous borders, vegetables, etc. it can also be dug in as a soil improver for sowing or planting. If  you leave it for another year, it will have rotted down further in to a dark brown compost which can be dug into the ground s a soil conditioner. This material contains high levels of humus, which help soil to retain moisture and enable it to hold onto nutrients. It can now be used as a seed sowing mix either on its own or mixed with equal parts of sharp sand and garden compost. As a potting compost – mix equal parts of well rotted leaf mould, sharp sand, loam and garden compost.

 

   Leaf mould is simple, free, and very effective.  If you’re lucky enough to have a tree or two (or ten) in your garden, you’ve got everything that you need to make a great garden.

 

Tuesday 17th November

On Sunday last, the 15th November, we had 19 volunteers out and about in Ballincollig for our weekly hour of litter picking.  Thankfully the rain held off and under some rare sunshine a total of 28 bags were collected.  Of that total we managed to recycle a total of 5 bags.   Again we continued to remove tie-wraps from the light poles and to date we have cleared all of the Main Street from Poulavone roundabout to John A Woods on the Western limits.  We have begun to clear the poles in the side roads and streets and hopefully we will complete the job over the next couple of weeks.

Very noticeable at present are the fallen leaves building up on the kerbs and footpaths.  Despite our many volunteers we cannot hope to clear these ourselves as Ballincollig is simply too big.  We would ask all residents associations to help us out by organising a brush up of the leaves.  If this is done and any bits of litter are separated the bags of leaves can then be recycled as compost.  If estates have no use for them in projects of their own then just get in touch with us and we will be able to arrange collection for recycling.  We have put together a comprehensive document on composting and this will be available shortly on our web page at www.ballincolligtidytowns.ie .

The Sunday morning litter picks carry on and weather permitting, we meet as usual at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am.  Just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags.  Many thanks to the new volunteers over the last few weeks for giving some of their time to the community effort.  It is much appreciated.

 

To get in touch with us you can contact Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore.

 

Tuesday 10th November

On Sunday last, the 8th November, we had 20 volunteers for the hours picking.  A total of 23 bags were collected with 4 of those sorted for recycling.  One bag consisted of tie-wraps taken from light poles which is a task we have worked on now over the last few weeks.  There are still many poles to go but we will get to them all over the coming weeks.  Thankfully the weather was dry and sunny for a change and it does help with the work.

Since the introduction of the diversion route (Spine Road) to the north of Main Street that takes traffic from the Plastic roundabout at Muskerry to the Eastgate, the increase of litter on this particular route has been dramatic.  It is clear that all sorts of waste is being tossed from vehicles as they pass through the area.  We ask all drivers to hold their waste until they get to their own homes and then dispose of it properly and not to litter our streets.  Much of the waste can actually be recycled with no effort really needed.

After the litter pick we adjourned as usual for the very important cup of tea or coffee in The Oriel House Hotel.  It is an important part of the weekly litter pick as great friendships have been formed and new people quickly feel at ease while having a cuppa and a biscuit or freshly made hot apple tart if you are lucky. 

We are extremely grateful to The Oriel House Hotel and Quish's Supervalu who kindly sponsor the teas and coffees and biscuits each week

There are no plans to take a break from the Sunday morning litter picks and we continue, weather permitting, to meet at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am.  Just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags.

Otherwise you can get in touch with us through Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore.

 

Friday 6th November

On Sunday (Oct 25th) we had 21 volunteers turning out for the weekly litter pick.             With such a great turnout we were able to cover a large area and collect a substantial amount.  A total of 34 bags were collected.  Four bags were segregated afterwards for recycling.  As well as that total we had a further 39 bags of green waste.  This consisted of clean ups of boundary areas and collection of leaves.  The majority of these will be composted and will be used in vegetable gardens next summer.  We would encourage anybody that normally looks for a compost boost for their plants to act now and collect a bag or two of leaves and keep them for that purpose. 

On Sunday last, the 1st November, we had 18 volunteers for the hours picking.  A total of 35 bags were collected with 5 of those sorted for recycling. 

 On this day there was a special concentration on taking down the tie-wraps from the roadside poles of Ballincollig.  Despite our appeals to those responsible for erecting posters to take the ties down with the posters it never seems to happen.  Both local and central Government are responsible and must be taken to task on this type of issue.  It of course is not just particular to Ballincollig and happens almost everywhere.  Perhaps Ballincollig needs to adopt the approach of some other towns that do not allow any posters. 

 In this day and age do we really need posters in our faces to tell us what or who to vote for? 

In the recent Muintir na Tire awards ceremony held in the Oriel House the Ballincollig Heritage Association took third prize in the large town category for their initiative in providing informational signage in the Regional Park.  Our congratulations to them and we hope it is the beginning of these type of signs in our town as we do have a valued and rich heritage and history that needs to be told.

 

Friday 30th October

Dates for your diaries for 2010

The Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday 10th February 2010

 in The Inniskenny Room in The Oriel House Hotel at 8pm

----------------

The 2010 Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday 15th October 2010

in the Lesley Suite in The Oriel House Hotel

Monday 26th October

On Sunday last (Oct 18th) we had 18 volunteers litter picking throughout Ballincollig.  A total of 28 bags were collected.  Four bags were segregated afterwards for recycling. 

It was noticed that the problem of dog fouling was very bad on the footpaths from   Colaiste   Choilm to Poulavone.  We appeal once again to dog owners to be responsible and clear up     after their pets have done their business.  Owning a dog brings more than just feeding and  walking the animal.  When going for a walk bring a bag and pick up after your dog.  It is your responsibility   and not to do so can have consequences.  It is an offence under the litter acts  not to pick up the waste and you as the owner are subject to a fine if you fail to do that simple task.  More important that it creates a health hazard for other people that use the same walking route including many school children. 

In our slogan competition from earlier in the year one of the students slogans states “Don’t walk away and say oops when your dog does its poops”. 

If you would like to help us out in any way do not hesitate to get in touch.  Our Sunday morning   litter picks continue, meeting at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am.  Just turn up and we will  supply pickers, gloves and bags.

Alternatively you can get in touch through Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore.

 

Sunday 25th October

Next Sunday has been designated "Operation Cable Tie" by the committee.  Next Sunday the many volunteers will spend their time removing the large numbers of cable ties that have been    left after the recent elections.  The numerous candidates  have removed their posters but kindly  left the cable ties on the poles etc. There are huge numbers of these unsightly items all over our community so next Sunday we will endeavour to remove as many of them as possible.

On the subject of election posters we came across one politician's  posters this morning but to save his blushes and a possible fine we disposed of them. 

Monday 19th October

Any community groups in the Ballincollig who have a website and would like to link up with Ballincollig Tidy Towns please email us at ballincolligtidy@gmail.com

 

Sunday 18th October

On Sunday last (Oct 11th) we had 18 volunteers litter picking throughout Ballincollig.  A total of 28 bags were collected.  Four bags were segregated afterwards for recycling.  As well as that total   of bags we had a further dozen bags of green waste.  This consisted of hedging and briar   cleared back from the well used footpath between Muskerry Estate and Oaklands.  The morning was fine which facilitated the work very well.  It has been great to see a number of boundary ditches cut back by a few landowners in the last couple of weeks.  This while looking good and neat will add to the safety of all road users in the winter period.

On Sunday the 4th October we also had 18 volunteers for the hours picking.  On that day 31     bags were collected with 5 of those sorted for recycling.  Also we had 10 bags of green waste  due to a residents group clearing a boundary in their area.  On the other side of peoples behaviour, Ballincollig saw needless damage done to a number of bus shelters that very   Saturday night.  It is a pity that some people cannot get themselves home without committing some act of wanton vandalism.  Thankfully it is only a very small minority involved and with the continued efforts of the rest of the community it will not succeed in bringing down Ballincollig’s good name.

At the end of September members of the Tidy Towns Committee were invited to the Rochestown Park Hotel for the results of the Inter Towns Litter Challenge 2009.  Our representatives went     with little hope of making the prizes following a disastrous first judging earlier this summer.  We reported on that at the time and while we pulled up dramatically on the second round we felt it would not be enough.  On the night we were proved correct as once again Ballincollig had  failed to break into the prizes.  We console ourselves with the fact that we regularly score better than many of the other towns in the National Tidy Towns competition.

If you are thinking that you would like to help us out in any way do not hesitate to get in touch.  Our Sunday morning litter picks continue, meeting at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am.  Just turn up and we will supply pickers, gloves and bags.

Otherwise you can get in touch through Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore.

 

Saturday 3rd October

The committee would like to thank everyone who helped them in any way to make last nights Award Ceremony such a great success.  They would like to congratulate all of the different prize winners in the various categories. 

We are already planning for 2010 and would appreciate support from all aspects of the  community

 

Friday 2nd October

Our Annual Awards Ceremony took place last night in front of a very large attendance at the Oriel House Hotel.  Joint Guests of Honour were the Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Derry Canty and the Minister for Education & Science Batt O'Keeffe TD. In all 43 prizes were presented in various categories. To view all the results check out 2009 Local Competitions.  Photos of the various presentations and social photos will be up on the website during the coming week so keep checking!!!!!

 

Saturday 26th September

Our Annual Awards Ceremony takes place next Friday night at the Oriel House Hotel at 8pm.   This will be preceded by a Drinks Reception at 7.30pm

September 2009

BALLINCOLLIG HAS COMPLETED THE "3 IN A ROW"

Ballincollig was awarded a Bronze Medal for the third year in a row in its population category.  It was also awarded a highly commended award in the County Section.  Our marks improved by 5 since 2008 which the Committee are thrilled with and this years marks continue the positive trend upwards since 1999.  As a committee we have never rested on our laurels and are already planning for 2010.

 

Saturday 29th August

The Church of Christ Our Light in Innishmore has had a major clean up carried out this week.  All the external walls and footpaths have been power washed. 

 

Friday 28th August

Work is well advanced on the new floodlighting of the Eastgate.  Cork County Council have done a lot of the preparatory work this week and the finished product will enhance this historic part of Ballincollig

Thursday 27th August

The following is our notes which will appear in this weeks Ballincollig Newsletter

It has been a while since we last produced an update on work done locally due to summer holidays.  However despite the break and the inclement weather the Tidy Towns Committee and volunteers have been very active over the past 4 weeks.  The judging of our local competitions has been completed apart from the schools section and the final judging of the category winners in the estates.  We are delighted to report that the standards this year were up on previous years and we hope that people are able to appreciate this whether prizes are gained or not in the local or national competitions. 

Litter picking has continued three times per week and a total of 174 bags were collected in the last month.  Of this total we recycled 19 bags.  Also a number of work projects were undertaken which included a revisit to the Youth House garden on Station road and the area just inside East Gate.  We also cleared a boundary ditch on Barry’s Road and this is much better now for walking. 

The last project done was on the walkway from Westgate to the Church/School in Innishmore.  This task has taken 3 nights of work so far and there is still more to be done there.  The pathway and steps have been cleared of overgrowth, weeds, litter and general dumping.  Some trees were obscuring the lighting and some pruning has opened up the area and it is a much safer walk now.  This is a well used pathway bringing people to the church and schools and is used by young and old.  We hope to have the gravel path tarred before winter and this would improve it further.  There has been quite a lot of dumping in this area of both domestic and green waste.  This is not acceptable and we would ask users of the path to be vigilant and report any instances of abuse they see.

Given that the evenings are now closing in quickly we will not have project work on Tuesday and Thursday nights from now until further notice.  Thanks so much to all the people who freely volunteered their time to assist us during those weekday evenings since early May.  Is it 4 months already since they started?  An awful lot has been achieved and it has made a significant difference to Ballincollig.  We will continue with our Sunday morning litter picks, meeting at Quish’s Supervalu car park at 11:00 am.  If you can spare an hour any Sunday you would be very welcome to join in.

Finally, we in the committee are very grateful to the community for the great support given to us last Sunday for our annual Church Gate collection.  These funds are vital to us in funding our activities for the coming year and we will try to keep you up to date with regular updates on projects undertaken. 

As always we are available to assist and advise any individual or group and we can be contacted through Mr Pat Clarke of Ballincollig Plant and Tool Hire in Innishmore.

 

BALLINCOLLIG IS OUR COMMUNITY AND THE ONLY PERSON THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IS YOU.  WE ALL HAVE TO PLAY OUR PART

  YOU CANNOT LEAVE IT TO OTHERS

 

Tuesday 25th August

Tonight we tackled for the third night the path that runs from the rear of the Westgate Foundation to Innishmore.  The results have been incredible and have to be seen to be believed.  The Photos below will give you an idea of the disgusting area we found and also the work that our volunteers did to clean up this area.

Steps and path before clean-up

 

Some of the Cans & Bottles that were collected & recycled

 

The Path After Our Clean Up

The Steps After BTT Volunteers Tackled  The Area

 

Sunday 23rd August

Our Committee would like to thank everyone who contributed to our Church Gate Collection over this weekend.  Your support is greatly appreciated. We are also very appreciative of the very kind comments and words of support that we received from so many people as they gave us donations.  These comments certainly make the work we do worthwhile.

Thursday 20th August

Our annual church gate collection takes place this weekend (22nd  23rd of August 2009)

Please support our efforts

 

Thursday 13th August

Our annual church gate collection takes place on the weekend of 22nd  23rd of August 2009

Tuesday 11th August

We were approached last week by a concerned resident about an area which is being used for drinking sessions and also as a dumping ground for local residents.  When we went to look at the area which is the footpath which leads from behind The Westgate Foundation to The Paddocks and Innishmore we found a huge amount of empty drink cans and bottles as well as a large amount of household waste,  grass  hedging cuttings.  We also found numerous bags of ashes from peoples fires.  The County Council Anti Litter Unit, the Gardai and others have visited the area to see first hand the disgusting condition of the place

Tonight our committee and volunteers tackles the area and after two hours we had collected 37 bags of rubbish approximately 800 glass bottles and 1200 drink cans.  The bottles and cans were taken to the  Bottle Banks and put in their relevant sections.

 

Sunday 9th August

The Sunday Morning Litter Pick was hard work as some mindless vandals decided to smash the phone box at the corner of Main Street & Station Rd.  Also there was a huge mess outside both fast food outlets on the Western Side of the Village.  It was very evident that no effort was made to clean up when they closed.

In total 35 bags of litter was picked before heading to the Orel House Hotel for a well deserved cuppa and a biscuit.!!

 

Friday 7th August

Third round of 2009 Estates Competition will take place next Wednesday August 12th 2009. We ask for your continued due diligence in maintaining your estates.

 

Thursday 6th August

Barry's Road was the target for our weekly clean up this week.  The road links the Killumney Rd to the Main Road and is used widely by many people every day as it form part of a very popular walking route. Lately the briars and hedges have been so overgrown that people have had to step out onto the road which was highly dangerous.  We tackled the area with hedge cutters and the end result was fantastic.  Passing pedestrians were very complimentary to us for our efforts.  Another job with great results. 

BARRY'S ROAD BEFORE WE TACKLED IT

 

BARRY'S ROAD BEFORE WE TACKLED IT

 

BARRY'S ROAD AFTER WE TACKLED IT

WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!

Wednesday 28th July

The date has been set for the Ballincollig Tidy Towns Awards Ceremony.  It will take place on Friday 2nd October in The Oriel House Hotel.  This year it is hoped to have 2 guests of honour namely The Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Derry Canty and Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe T.D.

Tuesday 27th July

The Bottle Bank in the Car Park at the rear of Down's Supervalu is being constantly abused by people who clearly have no civic pride.  Unfortunately for some of these people their names and addresses were found and the Anti Litter Unit will be issuing fines shortly.

 

Sunday 26th July

This morning the weekly litter pick took place and in total 27 bags of litter of which 4 bags of recyclable items were taken. During the litter pick the committee got a call to go to a green area at the rear of Rosewood and Greystones Estates.  The sight that greeted them was a disgrace.  There was household rubbish which included soiled nappies, food waste, empty beer cans and bottles and a lot more items strewn all over the area where children normally play.  There was also a huge amount of broken glass on the pitch which would cause serious injury to any young person who would fall there.  There was such an amount of glass that cutting yourself would be unavoidable

 Views of the rubbish dumped at the rear of

Rosewood & Greystones Estates

 

 

Wednesday 23rd July

Last evening the second round of the 2009 Estates Competition took place.

16 adjudicators carried out the inspections and once again the standard has increased.  One of the positive comments that came back from all adjudicators was the lack of dog fouling.  The date of the third round  is not yet decided so keep checking this page.

 

Tuesday 22nd July

Our Tuesday night work night was cancelled due to heavy rain.  A major clean up of the Youth House on Station Road was planned but is now deferred until next week

 

 

Inniscarra Bridge

 

Regional Park

 

 

 

“Be a Green Bean.  Help Keep Our Town Squeaky Clean”

Contact: Chairperson  Tom Butler  Tel:087 2701105  Email: ballincolligtidy@gmail.com