€15,000 to be shared by Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District Tidy Towns groups

Seven Tidy Towns groups in the Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District Area are set to share a total allocation of just over €15,000 for 2023.

 The Funding, approved at the May Carrick-on-Shannon MD meeting has been acknowledged as “small” but still welcome support for the many volunteers who work with Tidy Towns in the area.

The allocations are as follows:

 Rooskey has been allocated €1,250 for litter control, repairs, painting and planting on the Rooskey Main Bridge and approach road. The money will also be used to maintain and clean walking areas in and around the Leitrim side of the village.

Jamestown has been allocated €1,250 for power washing, upgrading the flowerbed and planting flowers as well as supplies to paint and decorate the gates, fences and amenity furniture.

Drumsna has been allocated €1,250 for general planting, replacing trees and shrubs, planting flowers, hanging baskets  and replacing nature cabinets and nature signs in the Wildlife Area. The funding will also be used for the maintenance of walls, trees, green areas, and hedging as well as insurance.

Leitrim Village has been allocated €1,250 for self-watering flower planters, planting flowers and hanging baskets and planting of trees.

Dromod has been allocated €3,125 for general maintenance, insurance, flowers, mulch, petrol, paint, composting and new tools and cleaning products.

Mohill has been allocated €3,125 for insurance, machinery maintenance, shrubs, bedding and plants and a lawn mower.

Finally, Carrick-on-Shannon Tidy Towns has been allocated €3,805 towards the operation of the hospitality litter picking and cleaning taskforce, fuel, strimming cord and servicing, contributions to the  TUS and CIS schemes, garda vetting, accountant fees and insurance.

 Although they approved  the allocations, Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District councillors noted that this level of funding was not really sufficient to meet all the requirements of local  Tidy Towns groups.

They noted the tremendous contribution made by the volunteers and said that it was disappointing that more funding could not be allocated towards the group.

It was noted that groups in the Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District had sought funding totalling €24,000 but only just over €15,000 was available to be allocated this year.  Councillors said that this would have to be revisited in discussions over the 2024 budget to see if more funding could be found going forward.