Active Belmullet Tidy Towns committee organises Cleanathon 2020

In spite of having no competition this year, Belmullet Tidy Towns have done their best to continue with improvements throughout the town, and so have the residents and business owners.

The committee have expressed delight with all the newly painted premises and are earnestly hoping for increased marks in this area next year – and they are confident that there will be a competition in 2021.

The first quadrant of the canal banks is now complete, and residents and Baile Slachtmhar Bhéal an Mhuirthead (Belmullet Tidy Towns) team members alike are looking forward to seeing the other quadrants of the canal area improved in the coming years.

The fencing project on the Blacksod Road (funded by LEADER), the new recycled plastic benches, and the upgrading of the Bunduaile entrance to the town are also very attractive additions. The improved bottle bank area at the civic centre looks much better, thanks to Mayo County Council.

Before Covid-19, the Tidy Towns committee completed part one of another LEADER-funded biodiversity project with local schools (primary and secondary) – entitled ‘It’s All About the Bees and the Seas’ - and some amazing orchards have been planted with native Irish apple trees.

Throughout the year, members of the group carried out a lot of work in litter control and gunnera control, but still the litter louts and irresponsible dog owners are letting the town down.

In addition, derelict buildings, broken downpipes, weeds in gutters, etc, will continue to lose marks for Belmullet town in the national Tidy Towns competition unless rectified.

Baile Slachtmhar Bhéal an Mhuirthead members are now appealing to each and every business owner and resident in town to take a look at their premises through a judge’s eye. Peeling paint, an unsightly window, a rusty sign and weeds in the guttering are all red flags when the judge comes around.

A spokesperson for the group said: “In 2018, even though the marks for Belmullet went up by two points, the town was downgraded from silver to bronze and they also went from first to second place in the Gaeltacht Awards. This situation persisted through 2019. It is not that the town hasn’t improved, it’s the fact that other towns are overtaking Belmullet in the competition.

“In 2021, the people of Belmullet want their gold medal back, and they want to win the Gaeltacht Award outright. In order to achieve these goals, the help of Belmullet’s residents and business owners would be very much appreciated. Ní neart go cur le chéile!”

This year, Belmullet Tidy Towns could not hold their annual church gate collection and volunteers find themselves in a position whereby they cannot avail of certain grants because they simply don’t have the matching funding or the money to pay up front for a project.

To this end, the committee are holding a six-hour Cleanathon on Thursday, November 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are also holding an online fundraiser to which people can contribute via Belmullet Tidy Town’s GoFundMe platform. If you can help with the Cleanathon or make a donation, it would be much appreciated.

*Pictured above, a new recycled plastic bench near the canal in Belmullet town.