Category Archives: TidyTowns

Award Winning Estates Competition 2022

Clane Tidy Towns is delighted to announce the launch of Clane’s Award Winning Estates competition 2022, thanks again to the generous sponsorship of Clane Project Centre.

The competition is designed to help recognize the great work that residents put into maintaining their Residential Areas. All estates – new and established – are encouraged to enter.

For all of this year’s details, including information on what the judges look for, please see our Entry Pack below. Entry forms can be submitted online below, or printed out and handed to any member of the Tidy Towns committee. Please submit your entries by May 15th if possible so that we can refer to them in our National Tidy Towns application.

The national competition continues to evolve and now places much more emphasis on Sustainability and Wildlife, so we are particularly interested to hear any steps you may be taking to encourage these. E.g. composting of cuttings for reuse, creating mini-meadows, avoiding pesticides, native planting etc. Please see the pack for more information.

Thank you for your continued support – and to the estates that enter: best of luck!

Online Entry Form

    Estate Name (required)

    Contact Name (required)

    Contact Address (required)

    Contact Email (required)

    Contact Telephone Number (required)

    If there are any recent initiatives or future plans you wish to bring to the judges attention please summarise them here:

    Le Chéile December 2021 – now available online

    The latest issue of Le Chéile is now available:

    This issue features updates and articles on:

    • Clane Tidy Towns Adjudication Report 2021
    • Clane Community Council Nominations for 2022-2023

    If you wish to print Le Chéile you can download the issue from above and use the print menu option when you view the magazine. Your computer setup may allow you to choose Booklet Form when printing. Please contact us if you need assistance.

    Adopt a Kilometre of Road and make it Green!

    In recent months volunteers have stepped forward to help litter pick in and around Clane. Groups of volunteers have been out at weekends to collect litter and have it removed with the assistance of Kildare County Council.
    However, there is more to the initiative than just picking litter. It also involves
    learning about the heritage of our countryside and the flora and fauna to be seen
    there. It is gathering momentum and Kildare County Council have launched a green-kilometer initiative to support these efforts. If you are interested in participating please get in touch!

    From the Kildare County Council website…

    Kildare Green Kilometre Scheme
    When it comes to communities looking after their area to deal with littering and dumping, Kildare is well served with a network of Tidy Towns groups in almost every town and village in the county. But Kildare County Council is aware that there are groups and individuals in rural areas who would like to become involved in looking after their own locality. With over 2,500 kilometres of roads in the county, it is hoped that these communities will work to improve these targeted areas.

    So rather than just asking people to pick up litter, we are asking groups and individuals to choose a kilometre of road in their area- preferably a quiet, local road in terms of safety. The group would then commit to maintain the chosen kilometre over the course of a year. Each Green Kilometre will be looked at twice in the year- not to judge, but to offer advice in terms of litter, hedge maintenance, care of heritage features etc.

    Small prizes of some native trees and shrubs are on offer for all projects submitted. More importantly, it is an opportunity for your community to work together on a project that benefits everybody.

    The following examples are some of the activities that can be included:
    • Removing litter
    • Managing hedgerows and verges
    • Restoring heritage features such as old farm gates or walls.
    Permission from landowners should be obtained first and protected structures should only be maintained following professional advice.

    Please remember that the cutting of hedges is banned from March 1st to September 1st

    Applications can be submitted at any time of the year.
    The council looks forward to seeing many green kilometres around the
    county in 2021 and beyond!…….

    If you are interested in participating please make contact with Clane Community Council and Clane Tidy Towns by emailing ClaneCommunityCouncil@gmail.com. Indicate where you live and that you want to help with the Green Kilometre initiative. We can assist you in having your group registered with Kildare county Council.

    In related news Loughanure Area Text Alert Scheme undertook a litter picking day on Saturday 24/04/2021 and many helped to clean up the roads in our area approx. 10Km. A big Thank You to all who took part especially the young environmentalists.

    Community Biodiversity Workshops for Clane

    Clane Tidy Towns is delighted to invite you to a set of three practical workshops dedicated to protecting and encouraging Biodiversity in Clane. In addition, with the generous support of Clane Project Centre, we have some exciting ideas about showcasing any measures in public spaces you might decide to take…

    Community Workshops

    Clane is one of ten communities participating in a Community Biodiversity Workshop initiative in County Kildare in 2020. Three online workshops have now been announced to share practical ways in which our biodiversity can be protected and enhanced for future generations, and help apply these techniques to locations in and around Clane. Residents, Residents Associations, and all organisations maintaining property in Clane are encouraged to attend.

    • Introductory Biodiversity Workshop Tuesday 1st Sept 7-9pm on Zoom. This webinar is open to all and will cover general habitat types typically found in most community spaces and explain how to create and manage them. Communities from around Kildare are invited to this training programme. 
    • Clane Training Session 1: Saturday Sept 26th (9.30am-12.30pm). A half day webinar focused on Clane. This will focus on some of the spaces and features in our community and identify specific opportunities for enhancing biodiversity.
    • Clane Training Session 2: Tuesday Oct 6th (6.30-9pm) on Zoom. A final webinar dedicated to Clane where we will finalise actions and other details to be included in the local Action Plans specific to Clane.

    To participate in this series of free events, please fill out the form below (ideally before 1pm on Monday August 31st) and we will get you registered with Brian at Green Pine consultants who are delivering the training.

      If there are any comments you wish to make please add them here:

      Showing off your work!

      To highlight the biodiversity-enhancing measures that you may choose to take, Clane Tidy Towns are delighted to announce that they will work with the various local projects in Clane to help promote them with the help of funding generously provided by Clane Project Centre. Exact details will depend on the number and the nature of the locations in Clane, but we think a coordinated set of discrete signage might be a delightful addition to the community. Perhaps something like these…

      Please sign up to workshops using the form above to register your interest.

      Award Winning Estates Competition 2019

      Clane Tidy Towns is delighted to announce the launch of Clane’s Award Winning Estates competition 2019, thanks again to the generous sponsorship of Clane Project Centre.

      The competition is designed to help recognize the great work that residents put into maintaining their Residential Areas. All estates – new and established – are encouraged to enter.

      For all of this year’s details, including information on what the judges look for, please download our Entry Pack. Entry forms can be handed to any member of the Tidy Towns committee, or submitted online here. The closing date for entries this year is July 19th. You can also browse details of previous competitions.

      You will see that this year Clane Tidy Towns is again promoting the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, working to protect our butterflies, bees and other vital insects for future generations. While the Clane Tidy Towns team is focusing on the public areas of Clane, everyone’s gardens and all of the housing estates have a valuable role to play too. For 20 low-cost or no-cost suggestions have a browse of the Pollinator Plan Action Pack for Gardens. If your estate, or your garden, adopts pollinator friendly features we encourage you to log your efforts on the national activity map online, or feel free to email ClaneTidyTowns@gmail.com and we will be delighted to upload the details for you – it all adds to Clane’s Tidy Towns efforts.

      Thank you for your continued support – and to the estates that enter: best of luck!

       

      Clane Tidy Towns Award Night

      On Friday October 12 Clane Tidy Towns held a community awards night in Manzor’s The Village Inn. A great crowd turned up and the Tidy Towns year was brought to a fitting close, appreciating all the hard work of everyone who contributed in any way to this year’s campaign.

      Several awards were also announced on the night – for Award Winning Estates, Best-Presented Premises and for Best Volunteer.

      Congratulations to our Award-Winning Estates for 2018:

      • Capdoo Park
      • Brooklands
      • Park View
      • College Grove
      • Abbey Park
      • Mainham Wood

      Special congratulations to the Outstanding Estates 2018:

      • Ottomy
      • Central Park And Churchfield

      The complete Award-Winning Estates judging report can be seen below.

      The Best-Presented Premises 2018 was awarded to:

      • Tom Gough and Sons Butchers

      And this year a new award was presented for the first time: Best Volunteer. This was awarded to:

      • Stephen Pwajok

      All these efforts contributed to the Clane Tidy Towns efforts in 2018, and helped Clane earn an additional 7 points In the national SuperValu Tidy Towns Competition, resulting in a Bronze Medal. The adjudication report on Clane can be seen here. Our sincere thanks to all involved in Clane Tidy Towns efforts in 2018. Rest well, and we look forward to your continued support in the future.

       

      Clane Award-Winning Estates Competition – Judges Report 2018

      A sincere thank you to those estates that entered the 2018 Award Winning Estates Competition, again generously supported by Clane Project Centre. This year the judges were asked to select a number of award-winning estates based on the judging guidelines overleaf.

      All entry forms were reviewed and entrants visited during the Summer. The standard throughout was again very high, but the judges felt that some areas and initiatives deserved to be called out:

      • Liffey Lawns – kept well throughout, with nice beds each side of the main road through the estate.
      • Loughbollard – congratulations on working through the significant clean-up of the boundary area. The open areas were all well maintained, with nice flowers noticed at the entrances.
      • Meadow Court and The Meadows – The new footpath between the entrances will be a useful amenity for residents. A well-maintained estate with some impressive gardens within.
      • Hillview Heights + Hillview Green – thank you for leaving some of the hedges on the boundaries to flower for the bees. Some gardens boasted stunning hanging baskets.

      After careful consideration of all the judging guidelines, the judges selected the following estates as Clane Tidy Towns Award Winning Estates for 2018:

      • Capdoo Park – the entire estate was looking very well with the redeveloped entrance and new planting particularly admired. Nice to see the Ivy – a great choice for pollinators too.
      • Brooklands – another impressive display with flowers all along the main road of the estate and in some stunning gardens. Very well maintained.
      • Park View – a beautifully presented estate, lovingly maintained as always. Congratulations too on your pursuit of improved lighting, and the community compost area.
      • College Grove – a lovely entrance again this year. The mulching of hedge cuttings was a great idea, and well-kept kerbing noticed throughout.
      • Abbey Park – congratulations on the renewed entrance and planting in the various beds – all looking very well. Very thoughtful too to leave the dandelions in flower – very helpful to bees emerging after the winter.
      • Mainham Wood – immaculately maintained – both inside and out – with very impressive floral displays in several gardens.

      This year the judges wished to highlight two Outstanding Estates. The estates they deemed to be Outstanding in 2018 are:

      • Ottomy – not just a stunning display at the entrance. Beautifully maintained beds, planters, corners were on show throughout the estate. Congratulations!
      • Central Park and Churchfield – Very tastefully planted bed admired at the entrance. Many enhancements throughout the estate building on the progress of previous years. Fantastic!

      Award Winning Estates Competition 2018

      Clane Tidy Towns is delighted to announce the launch of Clane’s Award Winning Estates competition 2018, thanks again to the generous sponsorship of Clane Project Centre.

      The competition is designed to help recognize the great work that residents put into maintaining their Residential Areas. All estates – new and established – are encouraged to enter.

      For all of this year’s details, including information on what the judges look for, please download our Entry Pack. Entry forms can be handed to any member of the Tidy Towns committee, or submitted online here. The closing date for entries this year is July 1st. You can also browse details of previous competitions.

      You will see that this year Clane Tidy Towns is again promoting the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, working to protect our butterflies, bees and other vital insects for future generations. While the Clane Tidy Towns team is focusing on the public areas of Clane, everyone’s gardens and all of the housing estates have a valuable role to play too. For 20 low-cost or no-cost suggestions have a browse of the Pollinator Plan Action Pack for Gardens. If your estate, or your garden, adopts pollinator friendly features we encourage you to log your efforts on the national activity map online, or feel free to email ClaneTidyTowns@gmail.com and we will be delighted to upload the details for you – it all adds to Clane’s Tidy Towns efforts.

      Thank you for your continued support – and to the estates that enter: best of luck!

       

      Clane Tidy Towns 2017 – it’s a Bronze!

      Congratulations to all involved in the Clane Tidy Towns campaign 2017. The results of the national competition have just been announced and Clane has earned a Bronze Medal!

      For all the details please see the judging comments.

      All are invited to our local Awards Night where we will reveal our best kept estates and best-presented premises competition winners, as well as celebrate everyone’s contributions and this year’s achievements.

      See you there!

      Award Winning Estates Competition 2017

      Clane Tidy Towns is delighted to announce the launch of Clane’s Award Winning Estates competition 2017, thanks again to the generous sponsorship of Clane Project Centre.

      The competition is designed to help recognize the great work that residents put into maintaining their Residential Areas. All estates – new and established – are encouraged to enter.

      For all of this year’s details, including information on what the judges look for, please download our Entry Pack. Entry forms can be handed to any member of the Tidy Towns committee, or submitted online here. You can also browse details of previous competitions.

      You will see that this year Clane Tidy Towns is looking to see how we can support the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, working to protect our butterflies, bees and other vital insects for future generations. The Clane Tidy Towns team is focusing on the public areas of Clane, but gardens and housing estates have a valuable role to play too. For 20 low-cost or no-cost suggestions have a browse of the Pollinator Plan Action Pack for Gardens. If your estate, or your garden, adopts pollinator friendly features we encourage you to log your efforts on the national acticity map online, or feel free to email ClaneTidyTowns@gmail.com and we will be delighted to upload the details for you – it all adds to Clane’s Tidy Towns efforts.

      Thank you for your continued support – and to the estates that enter: best of luck!

       

      Celebrate Biodiversity Week in Kildare…

      Saturday May 20th marks the launch to Kildare’s biodiversity Week with free guided walks, talks organised all around the County.

      For all the details download the Kildare Biodiversity Week 2017 Brochure.

      Clane is hosting one of these events, a “Wild About Clane” nature walk by the Liffey. Meeting at 3pm on Saturday May 28th in the Abbeylands Shopping Centre Car Park. All are welcome – see you there!!

       

      Launching Clane Tidy Towns Campaign 2017…

      Clane Tidy Towns are inviting everyone down to the Abbey this Saturday April 8th at 10am to help kick off Clane’s 2017 campaign with a big Spring Clean for Clane.

      We’ll head out from there to pick litter from spots in and around the village.

      Clane was awarded Bronze Medal in the national competition in the last three years – please come along if you can and help get your village’s 2017 campaign off to a great start.

      Hopefullly see you Saturday!!

      Award-Winning Estates Competition

      Please note Clane Tidy Towns are now accepting entries to the Award-Winning Estates competition. Estates are welcome to fill out the entry form online below.

        Estate Name (required)

        Contact Name (required)

        Contact Address (required)

        Contact Email (required)

        Contact Telephone Number (required)

        If there are any recent initiatives or future plans you wish to bring to the judges attention please summarise them here:

         

        St. Patrick’s Day 2016

        Congratulations to Clane’s St. Patrick’s Festival Committee who pulled off such a great week of festivities yet again, this year focused on the theme of Health and Fitness.

        Clane Community Council hope you enjoyed our float which was powered by volunteers of all ages from Clane Tidy Towns, Clane and Rathcoffey Community Games, Clane Friary and Abbey Cemetery, Clane Heritage and the Abbey Community Centre. Generously sponsored by local business Power Food Technology, it demonstrated the wonderful power of the community working together.

        Clane Community Councils Float about to power up Main Street

        Clane Community Council’s Float about to power up Main Street

        Some of the Guard of Honour for the main float!

        Des Drumm (chairman) and John Power (chief engineer!) accepting the award on behalf of Clane Community Council from Lord Mayor of Clane Dessie Marron

        Here’s to the “Health and Fitness” of everyone in Clane in 2016.

        Happy Saint Patricks Day from all in Clane Community Council

        Happy St. Patricks Day from all in Clane Community Council

        Community Awards Night 2015

        Clane Tidy Towns Logo - 2013The wonderful achievements of local resident’s associations, businesses and young athletes were all recognised at the annual Community Awards Night held in Manzor’s The Village Inn on Friday October 30th. The winners of this year’s Clane Tidy Towns Best Kept Estates and Best Presented Premises competitions were also revealed.

        First up were those young athletes who were awarded medals at the All-Ireland Community Games championships held during the summer. Matthew Walsh-Hussey was recognised for being awarded the silver medal for Under 12 Freestyle Swimming. He was carefully coached by Susan Galbraith, with the help also of Agnes McGuire, and Michelle and Paul McLoughlin.

        Clane and Rathcoffey Community GamesClane’s under 12 soccer team also made it all the way to All-Ireland medals – they secured the bronze in their competition. The team consisted of Cormac Bradley, Sean Sheridan, Cian Dowling, Arran Wosser, Christopher Part, Ethan Farrell, David O’Beirne, Mark Gibbons, Eoin Geraghty, Dean Comiskey, Sean Uzamah, Darren Ward, Tom Nolan, Isac Jamirah, John Fitzsimons and Ben Kirwan. They were lead by the hard-working management team of Peter Kirwan, Derek Sheridan and Aaron Kirwan.

        Martina Healy, who coordinates all Clane & Rathcoffey Community Games activities, was also recognised on the night for all her hard work through out the year.

        Moving on the the Tidy Towns portion of the evening, Chairman of Clane Community Council Des Drumm thanked the Tidy Towns committee for their hard work during the year, and congratulated them on gaining 4 extra points for the village, and retaining the bronze medal, in the national competition.

        Chairperson of Clane Tidy Towns Helen O’Flaherty then thanked the many individuals, businesses,  community organisations and resident’s associations that had contributed so generously to Clane’s Tidy Towns efforts in 2015.

        The evening ended with the announcement of the winners of this years Best Kept Estates and Best Presented Premises competitions generously sponsored by Clane Project Centre. The prizes were presented by chairman of Clane Project Centre Kit Grogan. The winners were:

        Large Estates:

        First Prize: Joint winners Central Park & Churchfield, and Abbey Park
        Second Prize: Brooklands
        Third Prize: College Wood Manor

        Medium Sized Estates:

        First Prize: Park View
        Second Prize: Capdoo Park

        Small Estates:

        First Prize: Mainham Wood
        Second Prize: College Grove

        Best Presented Premises:

        Bob & Kate’s

        A big thanks to all who helped out on the night, and in all the activities throughout the year. Clane Tidy Towns and Clane & Rathcoffey Community Games wish you a well-deserved relaxing few months, and look forward to your continued support in the years ahead.

         

         

         

        Clane gets the Bronze!!

        Clane Tidy Towns Logo - 2013Everyone’s great work has paid off – Clane was awarded a well deserved Bronze Medal is this year’s National Tidy Towns Competition.

        A big thanks to all of the residents’s associations, businesses, schools, scouts, beavers, and other volunteers who supported this year’s events so enthusiastically.

        There are a total of 450 marks available under a wide range of categories:

        • Community Involvement & Planning
        • Built Environment and Streetscape
        • Landscaping and Open Spaces
        • Wildlife, Habitats and Natural Amenities
        • Sustainable Waste and Resource Management
        • Tidiness and Litter Control
        • Residential Streets & Housing Areas
        • Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes

        The judges concluding remarks were:

        Well done Clane, an entry befitting your experience. Excellent submissions in a number of categories. Your upward trajectory continues

        You can see their complete write-up here.

         

        Best-Kept Estates Competition 2015

        Clane Tidy Towns Logo - 2013The residential areas of Clane make a huge contribution to Clane’s entry in the national Tidy Towns competition. To encourage, and to acknowledge, the great efforts of our residents and Resident’s Associations we are delighted to announce the launch of the 2015 Clane Best-Kept Estates Competition. All estates in Clane are invited to enter by filling out their details here. Independent judges will visit the estates in the July time-frame. Best of luck to all who enter!

         

        Clane’s Tidy Towns campaign in full swing!

        Clane Tidy Towns Logo - 2013Clane’s Tidy Towns campaign for 2015 is now in full swing. Volunteers gather every Tuesday at 7:30pm outside the Abbey. In recent weeks the Kildare 13th Beavers, the Staff of SuperValu Clane, the pupils of Scoil Phádraig and several of the businesses on Main Street have made wonderful contributions. Would you or your organisation like to get involved? Just drop down some Tuesday you have an hour or two free or contact us at ClaneTidyTowns@gmail.com

        Tidy Towns tackling the Ballynagappagh Road with the help of SuperValu Clane

        Tidying up the Ballynagappagh Road with the help of SuperValu Clane

        13th Kildare Beavers after a big clean-up of Nancy's Lane

        13th Kildare Beavers after a big clean-up of Nancy’s Lane

        13th Kildare Beavers after litter picking the Liffey Walk

        13th Kildare Beavers after litter picking the Liffey Walk

         

         

         

         

        Intel Community Grant 2015

        Clane Community Council were delighted to receive a community grant from Intel again this year, reflecting the significant number of hours volunteered by Intel employees in Community Council activities like Tidy Towns and Community Games.

        Intel Community Grant Award 2015

        Chairman Des Drumm attended the award ceremony on the Intel campus in Leixlip recently, with one of the Intel employees that volunteers on Community Council activities, John Kennedy, there to help with the handover.

        If you know of any Intel employees in the community, please remind them that hours they volunteer to activities like Tidy Towns and Community Games can have the bonus affect of helping to raise valuable funds for the community.

        Clane Community Council are grateful to Intel for not just their generous financial contribution, but also their willingness for their employees to put their skills and enthusiasm to work in the community too.

         

        Scoil Phadráig’s Biodiversity Green Flag Initiative

        The Green Schools committee, students, and staff at Scoil Phádraig are working hard towards securing their next Green Flag. Under the stewardship of Deputy Principal Mr. Eyres, over 200 nestboxes and insect hotels were recently produced and distributed amongst the families of those attending. An additional 50 boxes were very generously presented to Clane Tidy Towns and Kildare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland.

        To help mark this wonderful contribution, John Kennedy from Clane Community Council’s Clane Tidy Towns presented a talk “Wild About Clane” to a hall full of 6 classes of students. The enthusiastic boys proved to be very knowledgeable, but were genuinely surprised to learn of some of our local wildlife. Butterflies that migrate to Clane all the way from Africa. Animals that can catch grey squirrels but not the native red. Birds that once they leave their nest up high on buildings on our Main Street, do not stop flying till they try to nest themselves two or three years later. Garden Tigers, Elephant Hawkmoths and more.

        Talk

        John Kennedy, Clane Tidy Towns, introducing local biodiversity

        The audience also asked some valuable questions, and learned of very practical and surprising ways they can help protect biodiversity in Clane. Thoughtless acts such as Littering and Graffiti cost so much time and money – and huge efforts in volunteer fundraising – that stamping them out would give volunteers in Clane the ability to fund and do much more exciting things of benefit to the community – including wildlife initiatives.

        What's This???

        What’s This???

        The talk ended with a big thank you to the school: the Green Flags awarded to the primary schools of Clane are a very important contribution to our Clane Tidy Towns activities and helped Clane achieve a Bronze Medal for the first time in the 2014 national competition. We wish them every success in their campaign for their next Green Flag.

        Members of the Green School's Committee presenting their Nest Boxes

        Members of the Green School’s Committee presenting over 50 Nest Boxes to Clane Tidy Towns and Kildare Branch of Birdwatch Ireland

         

         

         

        National Clean-up in Clane 2015

        A big thanks to everyone who helped in the National Clean-Up day event held on March 21st last. The enthusiastic volunteers tackled several areas including:

        EmptySkip2015

        An empty skip at the start of the day

        • The River Liffey – thanks to Clane Trout and Salmon Anglers Association
        • The old entrance to Abbeylands
        • The field beside Lidl
        • The Celbridge Road
        • Parts of Capdoo Lane
        • The Ballynagappagh Road
        • Loughanure Commons
        • Nancy’s Lane

        Between them they managed to fill a full roll-on skip of rubbish kindly hosted for us by Joe Campbell. Other trailer loads of rubbish were collected from the ditches of Clane and deposited in large skips in Rathcoffey.

        It is disappointing that this volume of rubbish is still being dumped in and around our village, but our sincere thanks to everyone who helped tackle this issue on the day, and to the Tir na Mona network for a delicious lunch and for coordinating the broader countryside clean-up in this part of County Kildare.

        AbbeylandsEntrance

        Cleaning up the Old Abbeylands Entrance

        NancysLane

        Cllr Padraig McEvoy with the rubbish collected from Nancy’s Lane

        RiverLiffey

        Clane Trout and Salmon Angler’s Association collected this material from the Liffey

        SomeoftheWasteCollected

        Some of the rubbish collected by the end of the day