Hometown Heroes: Eilis loves banter as she helps tidy Ballyphehane

THE banter and the benefit that it brings to the local community are the main reasons Eilis O’Brien got involved in Cork’s newest Tidy Town organisation in the city, Ballyphehane Tidy Towns.

Eilis, aged 41, who is a carer to her two sons, said she didn’t always have time to give back to society, but has now found time and got involved in the close-knit volunteer organisation that is helping to revamp and rejuvenate the local environment.

“We meet on Saturday morning as a group, split up into smaller groups and tackle the worst-hit spots with one half on one side of the road and the other half of the team opposite, chatting as we go. Sometimes we have other projects on at the same time we split the time between cleaning/litter picking and the rest of the time on the projects like painting, power washing, or planting too.

“When the days are warmer and longer we also meet on a mid-week evening.”

The mother of two is said it was her seven-year-old Evan who got her to join up.

Eilis has two sons Evan, and Luke, aged four, who go to the Rainbow Club, which supports young people living with Autism.

“I had started taking Evan to the Saturday morning clean-up with Ballyphehane Tidy Towns and the Rainbow Club on alternate weeks. Then I asked him which one he wanted to do on Saturdays and he chose the Ballyphehane Tidy Towns.”

Eilis said Evan enjoys getting involved in the group, picking up rubbish and chatting with the other volunteers.

The mother of two said she enjoys the time she spends with Ballyphehane Tidy Towns.

“It feels good to just help out in the little ways I can and by doing so I hope that it will teach my children respect and kindness for people and their locality.”

Eilis said there are definitely highs and lows in terms of how the work they do in the community is appreciated.

“Sometimes it’s a little heartbreaking when you spend your time cleaning up only to pass by the same area later in the day and see people just dropping their rubbish without a care in the world.

“On the plus side there are people who recognise what we’re doing and they take the time to stop and say thank you, that really means a lot. People will ask us what we’re up to as a group or comment on the projects we’ve been working on in the area and the improvements are being noticed.”

INVESTING TIME

Eilis said she loves it when people acknowledge the important work the group does for the local area.

“I don’t see it as giving up my time so much as I see it as investing my time in something that’s important to me, my family and the community.”

The Ballyphehane Tidy Towns fundraising co-ordinator said the group, which started during the pandemic, gave everyone a sense of normality at a time when things were all over the place.

“You chat about other things going on in the community too and it instills a sense of pride in your community seeing and hearing people look out for each other.”

Eilis said there is a good mix in the group and she has realised connections that exist between her and others, that she had not known about before.

“We have young and older members, different ages and abilities and from varying walks of life but everyone feels welcome and you can have a great chat with anybody. There are people I’ve met in the group who I would’ve known their family growing up but didn’t know them personally, so it’s nice to make the connection. I’ve even met a dear friend of my late aunt whose son is a good friend of my brothers — Cork is small but Ballyphehane is even smaller.”

The organisation is currently fundraising for equipment and projects they are working on.

’Love Your Hane - Ballyphehane Tidy Towns Fund‘ is a Gofundme page sent up to help the new Tidy Towns organisation to continue their good work.

Eilis said they have a lot of big ideas in the pipeline and they are excited about seeing the plans come to life.

“We are currently trying to encourage uptake in our ‘Adopt a Street’ campaign. Anyone can pick a street. We’re taking pride in what’s directly on our doorsteps and in front of our houses and the streets you walk. We see this a lot on our rounds and it’s nice to have a chat with people as we go.

“We’re always looking for new volunteers and helping hands, just come to any Saturday morning weather permitting and we meet at the Ballyphehane/Togher Community Development project, across from Ballyphehane Church at 11am. It’s great to see so many new members since our return after Christmas.”

For more information visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/BallyphehaneTidyTowns or email ballyphehanetidytown@gmail.com