The work goes on for Roscrea Tidy Towns

ALTHOUGH the work for the national competition submission has been completed prior to entering, the Roscrea Tidy Towns group still meet every Wednesday evening at 7pm and each Saturday morning at 10am – all at the Fountain in Rosemary Square to continue maintaining the town in good condition for the summer.

This is not always easy, because, as a group they are ageing and soon will not be in a position to continue to the same degree as they have been. They hope that some new and younger members will soon join. If you have but an hour to spare, they would welcome your help.

They were absolutely delighted to receive the help of so many of our asylum seekers who have turned out in such large numbers for the past number of Saturdays. Last Saturday week the group did a tidy up of the Environmental Garden.

Hedges were trimmed and pathways were wed. This group have consistently turned up on Saturdays since their arrival in Roscrea and have been instrumental in the sweeping, weeding and general tidying of many areas of the town – the Dublin Road, and Monastery Road being the most recent areas to be tidied. Many thanks to them all!!

The work is ever ongoing, as even a small stoppage allows the litter, weeds and general dirt to pile up. The same is true of the various flower displays and beds they have throughout the town – the weeds don’t stop growing or appearing - as David Attenborough recently described weeds as the “pioneers” of plant appearances, being the first to colonise new (and old) areas.

They are also blessed to have the aid of Roscrea Community Employment Forum Workers. Currently, they are busy painting the railings on the Mall. This is a tedious job and they’re extremely grateful for their commitment.

They also do a great deal more on their behalf – they perform weed and grass control, maintenance and do regular litter-picks in order to help keep the streets neat and tidy – not just for the competition but also so that visitors to Roscrea see it at its best.

They also painted and erected all the Artwork that’s to be seen around the town.

Indeed, the issue of litter has been highlighted many times before – and according to a recent broadcast on TippFM by Councillor Eddie Moran, it has become an issue in Templemore too.
Over the past number of years the CE Forum workers have collected an average of 250kg of litter each month. In a recent converstaion with their supervisor Mr Paddy Reidy, he remarked that the volume of litter the workers collect has taken a very marked increase – telling them that they are now collecting 250kg every fortnight. This is a sad reflection on the general public. There are litter-bins in the town and they are not invisible! If you purchase a takeaway, they ask that you don’t throw the wrappers/containers on the streets, but rather in the nearest bin, and if you’re in a car please don’t throw them out the window of the car on the way home. Rather, take them home and put them in your own bin.