New Tidy Towns group launched

FINGAL Mayor Cllr Eoghan O’Brien met with members of the newly formed Baldoyle Tidy Towns recently to hear about their ambitious plans for the area.

Already successful with two large clean-ups under their belt, the group is aiming to be a Tidy Towns with a difference. 

Their emphasis is to be firmly on the area of encouraging and protecting the biodiversity, flora and fauna of the Baldoyle village and surrounding area.

The Baldoyle Estuary (a designated NATURA 2000 site) and the soon-to-be-opened Racecourse Park are two of the areas that the new group wants to focus on to protect, promote and develop.

Joan Hopkins, chairperson of the Baldoyle Tidy Towns, said: “We’re getting a lot of positive feedback from Baldoyle residents, there’s great enthusiasm for what we’re hoping to achieve.

“We live in such a beautiful location, people in Baldoyle really want to see this happen.”

The group wants to develop Baldoyle as the first pesticide-free village and encourage an increase in cycling and water sports by providing additional infrastructure to complement existing Fingal County Council plans.

The new group is being supported by the Baldoyle Community Hall who are helping them with administration and grant applications. 

Cllr David Healy, Cllr Aoibhinn Tormey and Cllr Jimmy Guerin also met with the group and offered their support.

Mayor O’Brien said: “Tidy Towns groups always bring great benefits to any village or town and the plans of this group fit well with Fingal County Council’s own biodiversity initiatives.

“We wish them every success and will support them in any way we can.”

Baldoyle Tidy Towns held a third beach clean-up last Saturday, September 21. Meanwhile, the group is preparing its Tidy Towns application to be submitted for the first time in 2020

Separately, the results of the 2019 SuperValu Tidy Towns competition will be announced at a ceremony in The Helix on Monday, September 30. Local towns and villages will be hoping to fare well again in this prestigious event.