There was a great turnout in The Shamrock Lodge Hotel on Monday, October 10, for the annual Tidy Towns Awards, 2016.
Peggy Dowling, public relations officer with the Athlone Tidy Towns Committee, welcomed everyone to the awards ceremony, which acknowledged, celebrated and rewarded the communities, businesses, and schools for their ongoing efforts to improve their local environment.
Mayor John Dolan, Deputy Mayor Tom Farrell, and members of Athlone Municipal District attended the ceremony, while Dr Harman Murtagh was this year’s guest speaker.
Small Garden Award went to Mary Quain with Linda Jo Quinn and Iris Burke coming in second and third place respectively; the Highly Commended Small Garden Award went to Michael and Christina Kelly, with Tom Colsh and Brian Curley coming in second and third in the category; the Medium Gardens Award went to Anthony Lennon, with Peggy Kelly and Pat Murtagh finishing in runner-up and third place.
The Highly Commended Medium Garden Award was presented to Maura Burke, with Kathleen Browne and Marlyn O’Rourke in second and third. The Large Gardens Award, presented by local Independent Cllr, Ailish McManus, went to Margie Stankar, while Anne Costello and Catherine Fox finished in the runner up positions.
Other winners on the night included Tormey Villas, Moreno, and The Elms in the Small Estates category; Sli an Aifrinn, Arcadia/Highfield Court, and Garrycastle/Altown in the Medium Estates category; St Mary’s National School received a School Endeavour Award for taking on the maintenance of the flower beds in Burgess Park for the next 12 months; St Paul’s National School picked up the award for Best Litter Free National School; and Athlone Community College the Best Litter Free Secondary School Award.
Mentioned at the awards ceremony was the fact that a new application form covering all the business awards/categories will be available for next year’s competition for all businesses interested in entering the competition. The application form will be available for download on Athlone Tidy Town’s website.
Best Retail Centre East went to Dunnes Stores, Irishtown, while Best Retail Centre West went to Ganly’s Hardware.
Other winners in the business categories were Custom Cuts, Grenham Travel, Gertie Brownes, Sean’s Bar, and Savoury Fare.
Community Endeavour Award went to St Aloysius College, with individual endeavour awards going to Margaret Stankard and Violet English. Best Partnership Award was given to Coosan Community Group and Best Public Building Award to Athlone Courthouse.
Bringing the ceremony to a conclusion, Ms Dowling expressed sincere thanks to the audience, those who presented awards, Mayor John Dolan, Dr Harman Murtagh, the Shamrock Lodge Hotel, and everyone involved in Athlone Tidy Towns from volunteers to the committee.
For more information on Athlone Tidy Towns see athlonetidytowns.ie or find them on Facebook.
