Pride of Place judges visiting Mayo next week
THE final stages of judging for the 2024 IPB Pride of Place Competition in Mayo will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, August 7 and 8.
The IPB Pride of Place competition, in association with Co-operation Ireland, is an all-island competition organised by Co-operation Ireland and the local authorities to acknowledge the work being done every day by communities all over the island of Ireland.
Mayo County Council has nominated three groups for Pride of Place 2024: Inisturk - Category 11 - Community Tourism Initiative; Louisburgh community - Category 4 - Population 2,000 to 5,000; and Ballina Karen Community Garden - Category 9 - Inclusive Communities.
This ‘judges call’ is the final stage of the application and Pride of Place judges will conduct a site visit to each of these community groups, visiting and meeting with community representatives in each area.
Judges will visit Inishturk and Louisburgh on Wednesday, August 7, and Ballina Community Garden on Wednesday, August 8. Members of the three communities are encouraged to support and be part of judges' visit with the groups.
Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Councillor John O’Hara, wished the groups from Mayo the best of luck, saying: “Community groups are the backbone of this county, they put themselves out there every day to improve life in their areas.
“I want to wish all the Mayo groups the best of luck next week during the judging process and I know they will do the county and themselves proud. To get this far in the competition is a phenomenal achievement and recognises the outstanding work they have already done.”
Tom Gilligan, acting/chief executive, Mayo County Council. in supporting this year’s community groups, said: “We as a local authority appreciate the work, commitment and continued dedication to making Mayo look its best and adding value to the county.
“Mayo has a massive network of communities and the good work being done always starts at home locally on the ground. I would like to congratulate this year’s groups on their own achievements, on being nominated to represent Mayo in this national, prestigious competition. On behalf of Mayo County Council, I wish them every success with Pride of Place 2024.”
Deirdre Finnerty, head of community engagement on Pride of Place, added: “It is a wonderful competition which showcases and highlights best practices in communities throughout Mayo.
“Mayo County Council and the municipal districts work closely with our community groups in Mayo; we recognise and appreciate the level of volunteerism of all community groups which has helped to make Mayo a great place in which to live, visit, work and invest.
“Pride of Place is a way of acknowledging work carried out by our community groups and we wish the participating groups in Pride of Place 2024 continued success.”
The Pride of Place awards will be announced at the awards ceremony on November 2, hosted by Monaghan County Council and will be held in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan.