Douglas Tidy Towns awarded silver medal at national awards

Douglas Tidy Towns won its second silver medal in succession at the National Tidy Towns Awards ceremony, which took place at Croke Park last Friday.

The group achieved its first bronze medal in 2023, retaining it the following year, before going one step further by achieving the silver-medal grade last year and retaining that status this year.

The national awards ceremony took place at Croke Park last Friday, and Douglas Tidy Towns were represented by chairman Barry O’Brien.

“We are delighted to be recognised and maintain our silver medal that we worked so hard to achieve. It is really heartening to see our scores improve across all categories - a very rare feat, said Mr O’Brien.

“I want to pay tribute to our committee members, our volunteers and our commercial sponsors who make all of this possible.

“All of our members are volunteers who give up their free time to improve our area and that is something I am glad is recognised with this medal.”

Medals are awarded based on inspections by an adjudicator for the national Tidy Towns Awards. 

Douglas scored particularly well

Based on an appraisal of the town that was carried out last July, Douglas scored particularly well in the areas of tidiness and litter control; green spaces and landscaping; streetscape and public places; and community.

The report stated: “The revamping of the East Village with planters made by Douglas Men’s Shed was looking very well and it is great to hear that you have worked to provide nectar for nocturnal pollinators as part of your planting scheme. Well done also for mapping out the pollinator corridors in Douglas.

“You are indeed fortunate to have so many green spaces bearing in mind that tightly cut grass does not offer much value as a corridor. That said, your green corridors are full of trees, shrubs and hedgerows and so ideal. Don’t forget that the trees and shrubs in private gardens also help to form part of green corridors.

“Connected, protected, and conserved areas are stronger, and corridors are a major component in successfully fighting fragmentation and strengthening biodiversity. These physical links are one of the most important ways to ensure species can move between protected areas and maintain genetic strength."

A delight to see

“The Community Herb and Vegetables Gardens were a delight to see. They were well planted, the names of plant and colour coded harvesting guides was a great educational feature. The planters placed at the entrance to the park looked well and were nicely planted.

“Billy’s garden is a fitting tribute and was in much use on adjudication day. The nursery bed was also admired. It is not at all surprising that you have retained your Green Flag Award for the community park each year since 2002. The park was in very good condition and the planting far superior to many that this adjudicator has seen.

“Douglas was somewhat of a revelation for this adjudicator and a welcome one too. You have worked very hard to ensure the town is as biodiverse, clean and sustainable as you can for the good of the community and the environment. Well done for your many endeavours. It has not been possible to comment on all of your projects, but they have been noted awarding marks. You are wished continued success.”