39 Mayo towns and villages stand to benefit from funding

^{THE Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, has announced a €1.4 million national grant scheme to mark 60th anniversary in 2018 of the Tidy Towns competition sponsored by SuperValu.}

Minister Ring made the announcement at the TidyTowns award ceremony for the North West and West region in Westport..

This scheme will allow each Tidy Towns committee to apply for a grant of between €1000 and €4000 to support the work they do.

In announcing the grant Minister Ring said: “This €1.4 million investment by the government will directly support the TidyTowns groups that bring out the best in our towns and villages. I have no doubt that towns and villages across Mayo will benefit hugely from this investment.

“Wherever you have active TidyTowns committees, it gives the place a real boost and creates the environment for tourism.

“2018 sees the 60th Anniversary of TidyTowns competition sponsored by SuperValu and this grant scheme is recognition from the Government of the huge contribution made by citizens in their own communities.

“TidyTowns groups have made county Mayo and our country as a whole a better place to live in and to visit. The work is carried out on a voluntary basis and we all benefit from it. This investment by the Government will further enhance our towns and villages and represents great value for money.”

“This investment is a further sign of the government’s commitment to supporting our towns and villages. In October I announced €21.6 million in funding under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme which will help revitalise over 280 towns and villages across rural Ireland. Over €1.3 million of this funding went towards towns and villages in Mayo.”

The grant scheme announced today is a once off investment by the Department of Rural and Community Development to mark the 60th anniversary of the TidyTowns competition in 2018 and is additional to the support provided by the Department and Super Valu on an ongoing basis.

Interest in the TidyTowns competition has grown from strength to strength in recent years and with a record 870 communities entering the competition in 2017. The competition has been running since 1958 and is organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development. The competition has been sponsored by SuperValu since 1992.