It’s a tidy hat-trick!

BALLYMUN has
cleaned up again in the Tidy Towns Notice Nature Biodiversity Awards.

Hard work
throughout the year by local residents ensured the area came tops for the
Dublin Region 2011 – the third time in a row they’ve done it.

Over the last
year, Ballymun Regeneration Ltd (BRL) and Global Action Plan (GAP) undertook a
wide ranging programme of activities promoting the awareness of Biodiversity
around Ballymun, and their efforts paid off with the win.

“We are
delighted to win the Notice Nature Biodiversity Award 2011 and to increase our
Tidy Towns points again this year,

? said Roger Warburton of BRL.

“Great credit is
due to all the people in Ballymun who support our campaigns and who deserve
congratulations for winning this award.

?

The Ballymun
Biodiversity Action Plan run by BRL and GAP aims to create habitats for all
species which are sources of enjoyment and interest for the community.

Various
programmes and community events help generate a greater awareness of
biodiversity in the community and shows how it can be enhanced.

Vanessa Moore of
GAP says they want to spread the message as far as possible around the area.

“We’re also
working to enhance biodiversity in public spaces and within school and church
grounds,

? she said.

“We encourage
and support householders and community groups to take small actions to enhance
biodiversity through

‘wildlife friendly gardening’ where people create refuges
for birds and insects.

“By carefully
selecting the right location for nest boxes and feeders, school grounds and
community spaces have become

‘wildlife service stations’ in a traditionally
habitat poor environment.

?

There is now a
variety of programmes running in Ballymun aimed at specifically enhancing
biodiversity as well as fostering an appreciation for native wildlife.

Ballymun
sub-county Biodiversity Action Plan in the first of its kind in Ireland. It’s a
five year action strategy to promote and enhance biodiversity in the area.

It includes
lectures, activities, events, a photo-calendar competition, a Beautiful Spaces
competition to encourage secondary schools and youth groups to green up and
clean up their local area, and Greenwave, a programme for primary schools to
encourage pupils to record important information about plants and wildlife and
the arrival of spring.

Other measures
include Ballymun’s Park Stewardship Programme, which engages local young people
in supporting the long-term care and protection of local parks, with a
particular emphasis on biodiversity.

The Ballymun
Home Gardening programme promotes organic gardening, with a focus on composting
and water conservation. It’s been so successful that participants have gone on
to establish Ballymun’s first ever gardening club which now meets monthly.

The Community
Garden Programme in Ballymun is another hugely popular programme. It focuses on
transforming former derelict spaces to spaces abundant with colour and
attractive to wildlife.

Under this
programme a group of Ballymun residents come together for a minimum of four
weeks and work on an identified community space, guided by GAP.

The Ballymun
Tidy Towns committee currently comprises of Ballymun residents, local
businesses (such as Ballymun Shopping Centre, Ikea & SuperValu), Dublin
City Council, Ballymun Regeneration Ltd, Global Action Plan, Rediscovery
Centre, Poppintree Environmental, Ballymun Regional Youth Resource and Ballymun
Whitehall Partnership,

The committee
welcomes new ideas and encourages locals of all ages to get involved. For more
information contact Roger Warburton on 01-2228526 or email roger.warburton@dublincity.ie.