Donegal Minister Joe McHugh has urged communities to get involved in doing their bit for community spirit by supporting Tidy Towns.
At the annual awards night for Letterkenny Tidy Towns last night, Minister McHugh was on hand to do the honours and praise the work of everyone involved in the activism.
“Tidy Towns drives community engagement for the benefit of everyone. It brings together groups, associations and organisations which might not necessarily work with one another,” Minister McHugh said.
“It’s a real privilege for me to be asked to present the awards to so many dedicated and passionate people. At all times their ambition is to make our environment a better place to live and work and socialise.
“That can also be said of the regeneration funding announcements by Government in recent days, including a €1million grant that is helping to drive the Letterkenny 2040 project to rejuvenate the town centre and focus on making it a better place.
“This financial support is just the start of a big, long-term strategic goal to revitalise the town and when it is combined with the tireless voluntary work through Tidy Towns I am confident it will be a success for generations to come.”
Minister McHugh said he particularly wanted to thank Anne McGowan, chair of Letterkenny Tidy Towns, who has been dedicated to the organisation for something close to 30 years.
“Her team, and all the volunteers and residents’ associations who make Tidy Towns the success it is, also deserve huge credit for their efforts.
“I know Letterkenny Tidy Towns builds excellent networks and has been brilliant at driving connections and commitments from other organisations in the town in order to get the work done.
“I’d like to see as many people, businesses, community groups and other associations join forces with Tidy Towns to promote and deliver more of their ambitious work.”
Minister McHugh added: “I’d like to congratulate all the winners, particularly the young people and the schools involved. I was delighted to see Little Angel’s receive an award, especially as I had spent some time earlier in the day seeing the good work they do. It’s a great privilege to be asked to celebrate their achievements.”
