Blackrock Tidy Towns appeal to local community ahead of judging season
Blackrock currently holds a Gold Medal in the competition and has proudly earned the title of Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town on two occasions
With June marking the beginning of the National Tidy Towns judging season, Blackrock Tidy Towns has made an appeal to the local community to play its part in helping keep the Louth seaside village maintain its position.
Blackrock currently holds a Gold Medal in the competition and has proudly earned the title of Ireland’s Tidiest Small Town on two occasions — in 2019 and again in 2024.
Blackrock continues to rank highly at national level and is only a few points behind last year’s overall winner. Blackrock Tidy Towns said it is important to remember that judging is based on all aspects of the village, not solely the work of the Tidy Towns committee.
Marks are awarded across eight categories, including:
- Community
- Streetscape and Public Spaces
- Nature and Biodiversity
- Sustainability
- Tidiness and Litter Control
- Residential Streets and Housing
- Approach Roads, Streets and Lanes
Blackrock Tidy Towns said that these categories provide many opportunities to demonstrate progress and improvement throughout the village.
The village's success is a testament to the strong community spirit within the village, Blackrock Tidy Towns went on to say, and to the commitment shown by so many people over many years.
Judging for the National Tidy Towns competition is unannounced, so Blackrock Tidy Towns never knows when adjudicators will visit. High-scoring centres such as Blackrock will receive two visits during the summer judging period.
In addition to the ongoing work around the village, Blackrock will this year represent Ireland in the international Entente Florale competition.
A visiting panel will judge the village on Wednesday, 8 July. Blackrock has also continued to perform strongly in the county competitions, Sli Glas Lú and Louth Looking Good, both of which will be judged in the coming weeks.
As it prepares to defend its position in the coming season, Blackrock Tidy Towns said everyone can help by:
- Keeping boundaries neat and well presented
- Painting walls and controlling weeds
- Cutting back growth that obstructs pedestrians on footpaths
- Avoiding the use of weedkiller — it damages biodiversity, creates unsightly brown patches, and is highly visible
- Assisting neighbours who may be elderly or unable to maintain their property
- Joining its evenings of action every Monday at 7.00pm at the Sundial (except Bank Holidays)
- Presenting bins carefully, especially green bins, ensuring lids are secure so that litter cannot blow out and birds cannot access contents
Blackrock Tidy Towns said it wishes to thank everyone for supporting their local community.