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Portumna Tidy Towns
News Updates
Portumna Tidy Towns Information
Tidy Towns Competition 2010 - Adjudication Report
Adjudication Reports Archive
News Updates
08 September 2011
Tidy Towns Competition 2011 - Adjudication Report
Another very positive result achieved for Portumna in the National Tidy Town's competition. The results were issued on Monday 5th of September. We gained a couple of "hard to get" points in this years adjudication and received a very positive report for the National Adjudication Panel. The Portumna Tidy Town's Group wish to extend an enormous thank you to everyone who came out to lend a helping hand in keeping Portumna looking so fantastic. We have a beautiful town so let's be proud of it and keep it looking its best.
The Portumna Adjudication Report can be viewed here or can be downloaded (.pdf) here.
Tidy Towns Competition 2011 - Adjudication Report
Another very positive result achieved for Portumna in the National Tidy Town's competition. The results were issued on Monday 5th of September. We gained a couple of "hard to get" points in this years adjudication and received a very positive report for the National Adjudication Panel. The Portumna Tidy Town's Group wish to extend an enormous thank you to everyone who came out to lend a helping hand in keeping Portumna looking so fantastic. We have a beautiful town so let's be proud of it and keep it looking its best.
The Portumna Adjudication Report can be viewed here or can be downloaded (.pdf) here.
08 June 2011
Tidy Towns Update
Adjudication time for Tidy Towns is looming. A very big "Thank You" to the huge numbers that turned out to give Portumna a great tidy up. The adjudicators can visit Portumna anytime from the beginning of June right through the summer so it would be great if residents and businesses could do like they do every year and pull out all the stops to keep Portumna clean and tidy. We meet every Friday evening at the square at 7.30pm and anyone who would like to get involved to clean up, weed or indeed water the plants, please come along. Your support is really appreciated.
Tidy Towns Update
Adjudication time for Tidy Towns is looming. A very big "Thank You" to the huge numbers that turned out to give Portumna a great tidy up. The adjudicators can visit Portumna anytime from the beginning of June right through the summer so it would be great if residents and businesses could do like they do every year and pull out all the stops to keep Portumna clean and tidy. We meet every Friday evening at the square at 7.30pm and anyone who would like to get involved to clean up, weed or indeed water the plants, please come along. Your support is really appreciated.
20 September 2010
Tidy Towns Competition 2010 - Adjudication Report
Portumna Tidy Towns Committee was delighted to receive this year's Tidy Towns Adjudicators report, in which the town scored 275 points, a fantastic improvement of seven on last year. This is an increase of 14 points in the two years since the current committee was formed. The report recognised the many improvements that have come about throughout the town, while also identifying work that remains to be addressed. The full report is available here.
Special thanks to Sean Larkin and his team from Galway Rural Development,FAS, Fr Lawless, Galway County Council, local organisations & businesses and the community a whole whose support during the year made this points increase possible. The Committee is very much encouraged by the content of the Adjudicator's report to achieve a higher result in 2011. his will only be possible with the continued support of the community, so please get behind us in our work for 2011. Again, a huge thanks to everyone involved.
The Portumna Adjudication Report can be viewed here or can be downloaded (.pdf) here.
Tidy Towns Competition 2010 - Adjudication Report
Portumna Tidy Towns Committee was delighted to receive this year's Tidy Towns Adjudicators report, in which the town scored 275 points, a fantastic improvement of seven on last year. This is an increase of 14 points in the two years since the current committee was formed. The report recognised the many improvements that have come about throughout the town, while also identifying work that remains to be addressed. The full report is available here.
Special thanks to Sean Larkin and his team from Galway Rural Development,FAS, Fr Lawless, Galway County Council, local organisations & businesses and the community a whole whose support during the year made this points increase possible. The Committee is very much encouraged by the content of the Adjudicator's report to achieve a higher result in 2011. his will only be possible with the continued support of the community, so please get behind us in our work for 2011. Again, a huge thanks to everyone involved.
The Portumna Adjudication Report can be viewed here or can be downloaded (.pdf) here.
20 July 2010
Car Boot Sale
A Car Boot Sale will take place on Sunday 25th July in Portumna Co-operative Mart from 1pm to 6pm. In these recessionary times this will be a fantastic opportunity for everyone to shed all those unwanted "bits and pieces" and make some money. There will be a charge of €20 to bring your car into the sale and whatever money you make is yours. If you are lucky enough that your attic/garage is organized, then come along too as it will also a wonderful opportunity to browse and pick up pieces. Your support at this event will be much appreciated. All proceeds will go to the Portumna Tidy Towns for further projects planned. A very big thank you to Portumna Co-Operative Mart for the venue and to the local community groups who have supported us in this venture, in particular the Garda Siochana for their support in planning this event, to the Portumna Leo's (Lions Club) for taking the initiative to further fund raise and to you the wider community for supporting this venture by attending. Remember one man's junk is another man's treasure!!
Car Boot Sale
A Car Boot Sale will take place on Sunday 25th July in Portumna Co-operative Mart from 1pm to 6pm. In these recessionary times this will be a fantastic opportunity for everyone to shed all those unwanted "bits and pieces" and make some money. There will be a charge of €20 to bring your car into the sale and whatever money you make is yours. If you are lucky enough that your attic/garage is organized, then come along too as it will also a wonderful opportunity to browse and pick up pieces. Your support at this event will be much appreciated. All proceeds will go to the Portumna Tidy Towns for further projects planned. A very big thank you to Portumna Co-Operative Mart for the venue and to the local community groups who have supported us in this venture, in particular the Garda Siochana for their support in planning this event, to the Portumna Leo's (Lions Club) for taking the initiative to further fund raise and to you the wider community for supporting this venture by attending. Remember one man's junk is another man's treasure!!
Portumna Tidy Towns Information
Local Organisation
A new Portumna Tidy Towns committee was formed during the summer of 2008. Membership includes: Mike Goode, Ann Rabbitt, Marie Gunning, Paddy Callan, Marcella Murray, Ita Hynes, Conor O’Meara, Orla Walshe.The single binding objective of all is to enhance the physical beauty of the town for the benefit of both local residents and the many tourists who visit.
Strategic Plan
Portumna Tidy Towns are now developing their three year strategic plan to ensure that Portumna continues to look its best and to increase our score in the Tidy Towns competition. This will include plans for:- Litter Management
- Identification of, and plans for, specific enhancement projects, including wildlife habitats
- Planting schemes
- Required finances
- Necessary volunteer support structure
Immediate Projects
A number of projects were identified as requiring immediate attention, including litter management and a clean up of a number of high visibility areas in the town:- The area outside the Catholic Church boundary walls
- Portumna Playground & The Yew Walk, Adams’ Gates, Portumna Castle
- The Abbey Street entrance to Portumna Castle and Marina
- Flower Beds beside Portumna Courthouse
- Other projects as funding will allow for
Public Awareness
Raising public awareness in Tidy Towns in general, and the work of our Tidy towns Committee in particular, is a key objective of the group. We place notices in the local papers each week as well as in the local Parish Newsletter to inform locals of the work being undertaken and as a recruiting mechanism.We also raise public awareness by our physical presence on litter picking and transformation projects around the town.
Involvement Campaign
Portumna Tidy Towns has sought and received the co-operation of the local Scout Group, 10th Galway (Lough Derg). Each of the three sections within the group, Beavers (6-8yrs) Cubs (8-10yrs.) & Scouts (11-15yrs) have undertaken individual planting projects around the town. The Portumna Active Retirement Group is also ‘coming on board’ to support a number of specific projects.Our strategic plan focuses heavily on involving the entire community. Raising awareness in schools will be a key objective for 2008 and 2009. Street or Estate Leaders will also be identified and supported to lead on litter management and projects within their areas.
Key Public Services Stakeholders
Portumna Tidy Towns has identified the key public service stakeholders, including the Galway County Council officials, local Co. Councilors and FAS and have now met with these groups to outline our plans as well as to agree with them how they can help us in achieving our goals.Tidy Towns Competition 2011 - Adjudication Report
| Centre: | Portumna | Ref: | 320 |
|---|---|---|---|
| County: | Galway | Mark: | 277 |
| Category: | C | Date(s): | 20/06/2010 |
| Maximum Mark | Mark Awarded 2010 | Mark Awarded 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Development Approach | 50 | 37 | 37 |
| The Built Environment | 50 | 34 | 34 |
| Landscaping | 50 | 41 | 41 |
| Wildlife and Natural Amenities | 50 | 28 | 30 |
| Litter Control | 50 | 34 | 34 |
| Waste Minimisation | 20 | 12 | 12 |
| Tidiness | 30 | 17 | 17 |
| Residential Areas | 40 | 30 | 30 |
| Roads, Streets and Back Areas | 50 | 34 | 34 |
| General Impression | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Total Mark | 400 | 275 | 277 |
Overall Development Approach
Welcome to the 2011 TidyTowns competition. Your participation is important to the TidyTowns movement. Thank you for the entry form and the large amount of back up material. The map was excellent. The photographs capture the enthusiasm, many of the children, of people enjoying helping out. You have put a big effort into the preparation for the competition. A good sized committee holding plenty meetings and keeping the people informed of your plans and activities ensures steady progress. The contacts with the agencies and bodies keeps you well positioned to get proper advice and assistance, and it is noticeable that plenty assistance is assured from the amount of local clubs and others that you have listed. You have good contact with the schools and the many local events ensure that locals and tourists interact and form a good community spirit. All of this means you have a good approach to the competition.The Built Environment
There are many fine old buildings that display unique architectural qualities such as the two churches, the Courthouse and of special interest is the work done by the OPW in Castle Courtyard where the workmanship is of a high quality. There is an interesting ruin of a church with a well manicured graveyard alongside it near the castle. And the castle is an imposing and very historical building. Many other delights of architecture and historic sites are enjoyed on a trip around this old but very well preserved town. The shops are interesting with some of the traditional shops fronts and ones of a modern design. The schools are well presented. The spacious hotel has wonderful landscaping with large open spaces and has a beautiful railing at the roadside.Landscaping
Mention of Portumna nowadays reminds us of the fantastic achievements of the hurlers of Portumna at club and county level, but there are many other talented people in this proud town where enthusiasm and imagination are displayed in adbundance especially in regard to landscaping. One is welcome to the town with good grass verges and neatly trimmed hedges in many areas and the background of traditional stone walls makes for a picturesque landscape setting. The stone signposts stand out in great style. At different locations around the town, flowers in flowerbeds and planters adorn the surroundings. There are a great number of mature trees complimented by many young trees recently planted that give a freshness and maturity to the surroundings. The parks are maintained in great tradition with plenty of seats and other garden furniture to enable people to relax in beautiful surroundings.Wildlife and Natural Amenities
The wildlife enthusiast is advised to head for Portumna where they will be entertained in a variety of ways. The adjacent forest park provides walks for the energetic through the trees where the fauna and flora give little delights of nature as we stroll along. I enjoyed the descriptions of the places of interest, seating and sound walking surfaces. It is great to see the wheel chairs are well accommodated – well done. The numerous flowers, trees and shrubs in the gardens and open spaces provide shelter and food for many species of wildlife. The many sites outlined in your photographs are great places to visit where there is abundance of flowers of all types that have great colour. Then there is the spacious park at the side of Lough Derg that again has great open spaces. And of course here the people interested in water sports and pastimes are well catered for.Litter Control
There are plenty litter bins all over the place, but a few on the bridge road were full to overflowing. Around the rest of the town the litter bins are well serviced. We see in the photographs where the children are encouraged to get involved in picking up litter and great to see the scouts and cubs involved. The distribution of the "Keep Galway Tidy" shopping bags is an excellent idea. These initiatives are paying off as you are on top of this potential problem area.Waste Minimisation
The Car Boot Sale can be a good way of recycling goods that are no longer required by some but come in handy for others. Good to see you are pursuing water harvesting systems, and the recycled water used keeps the use of council water under control. I inspected the recycling area where there were several bins all well serviced in a neat and tidy location. The green flag initiative is a great scheme where the pupils, parents and teachers get a better understanding of the best way to look after the local environment.Tidiness
The town looked in a tidy way with weeds controlled and clean roads and footpaths. There are a number of derelict houses that make their location untidy, but there is not a lot you can do about this. I was very surprised to find where concrete was dumped in the smashing woodland area. I enjoyed the children's paintings on the walls near the recycling area and there we also enjoyed the old photographs of Portumna and its people. The children's playground is a lovely setting in that recessed area.Residential Areas
The older parts of the town have some wonderful townhouses and some excellent larger houses that were very well maintained and presented. A few estates are unfinished and work seemed to be stopped and hopefully these new houses can be soon finished and sold off that will bring new residents who could adopt a pride of place attitude. It is pleasing to find that landscaping is in place in some of the unfinished estates. It is positive to see trees planted here and there.Roads, Streets and Back Areas
The road surfaces are quite bumpy in places and this was particularly so in the road into the Forest Park. Well trimmed grass margins on the roads leading into then town give a good impression of the locality and its people, and sturdy traditional stone walls have a permanent appearance and always look well. Some road signs, the responsibility of the county council, are badly faded and need attention. There was extensive road works taking place on the bridge that opens. The long stretches of footpaths especially out the roads making walking that much safer.General Impression
You are making good progress in all the categories of the TidyTowns competition. I felt that the centre of the town looked a bit drab with a lack of floral displays from most of the shops. It was a pleasure to visit Portumna.Adjudication Reports Archive
Please select the report you want to view.
Adjudication Report 2011
Adjudication Report 2010
Adjudication Report 2009
Adjudication Report 2008
