Tidy Towns Committee Constitution
Title: The name of the group shall be Rathcoole Tidy Towns Committee, this committee is a subcommittee of the Rathcoole Community Council. It shall be non-political, non-sectarian, and will not discriminate on grounds of religion, gender or race.
Aims: The enhancement of the physical and social environment of Rathcoole Town and surrounding areas, with particular reference to:
- The general improvement, enrichment and development of the environment.
- The development of community spirit and pride.
- The promotion of an atmosphere of good neighbourliness.
- The encouragement of greater interaction among local people.
- Enhancement of the appearance and ecology of Rathcoole and surroundings.
- The development of whatever facilities are deemed necessary to cater for young and old.
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Membership: Membership of the Association shall be open to residents living, or proprietors of businesses based, within 2 kilometres approximately of Rathcoole Town centre. There shall be no membership fee.
Annual General Meeting: The Annual General Meeting of Rathcoole Tidy Town Committee shall be held each year in October-November. Notice of meeting shall be conveyed to members of the Association at least 5 days beforehand. Only residents over 16 years of age shall be entitled to vote or be appointed to office.
Click here to read more about the constitution.
Tidy Towns Contacts
Tidy Towns Committee:
Chairperson Iggy Keane
Secretary Alan Fairman
Treasure Christy McDonnell
P.R.O. Alan Stankus Kenna
Committee Members:
Gerry McAntyre
Derek Gallagher
Margaret Murphy
Terry Ivory
Tony O’Connor
Ann Marie Crosbie
Dierdre Tierney
Rajavarman Ravndran
Martin McDonagh
Neville Graver
Dierdre Tierney
Contacts:
Chairperson Iggy Keane Tel: 0877987858 email: iggykeane@hotmail.com
Secretary Alan Fairman email: afairman@outlook.com
Rathcoole Tidy Towns 3 years plan
INTRODUCTION
The national TidyTowns competition will have been running for 60 years in 2018. During this time the competition has evolved to reflect changes in national policy. There are currently eight separate judging categories in this competition. As well as litter, communities are judged for example on local wildlife, sustainability, the built environment and community planning. This wider scope of the competition reflects changes in national policy but always pays heed to the importance of TidyTowns committees and volunteers in shaping their communities.
The cornerstone of the TidyTowns programme is the preparation of a multi-annual plan by the local community outlining their actions and intentions for the next few years. This helps focus the efforts of each community and helps to measure their success.
2018 saw some of the highest ever numbers of entrants in the national TidyTowns competition with over 800 communities across Ireland entering. Every entrant to the competition is asked by their adjudicator to provide an up-to-date long-term plan.
Woodrow Sustainable Solutions was asked to tender for the work to draft the long-term year plan for Rathcoole community. The company was delighted to be subsequently asked to carry out the work with their community.
Click here to read more about the development of this long-term Plan.
Judging Criteria
Assessment of participating towns is carried out by an independent panel of adjudicators appointed by the Department of Rural and Community Development and takes place during the months of June, July and August each year, on a date which is not specified. As a result, this assessment is conducted in secret.
Each entrant is assessed under eight criteria with a total of 450 marks available as follows :
Community Involvement & Planning (60 marks)
Built Environment & Streetscape (50 marks)
Landscaping & Open Spaces (50 marks)
Wildlife, Habitats & Natural Amenities (50 marks)
Tidiness & Litter Control (90 marks)
Sustainable Waste & Resource Management (50 marks)
Residential Streets & Housing Areas (50 marks)
Approach Roads, Streets & Lanes (50 marks).
These criteria are applied to the physical environment of the area having regard to materials furnished by the entrant, which can, among other things, include a map, plans and photographs etc.
Participants can specify sub-areas of special interest for adjudicators to look at, but full adjudication covers the whole area and approach roads. This is normally defined as within the welcome signs to an area or, where none exist, within the relevant low-speed limit signs. In more rural or urban areas, where boundaries may not be clear, the minimum adjudication area is approximately one kilometre in all directions from the centre of the area as local geography and adjoining areas permit.
As a result of this assessment a number of entrants are identified as potential candidates for winning the overall title and are subject to not less than one more detailed assessment. Decisions on winners are made by the full panel of adjudicators.
