Our chairman, Ken Duffy, has been working closely over the past few months with his friend Lorcan Farrelly, who is a local poet and song writer. Lorcan contacted Ken because he needed a choir to perform his work with him, and someone to produce a video for him. Ken’s friend, Cassandra Lottering, was happy to help with the filming. Fingal Community College was contacted and their music department was keen to have their students take part. The choir wore STT hi vis vests during their performance to show their ongoing connection with our group. The inspirational result of this project can be viewed using the following link.
News
Matt Cullen’s Donation to ILFA
In October this year, STT member Matt Cullen held a solo art exhibition in the Atrium of the Fingal County Council offices. He pledged to donate 50% of the proceeds of his sales to ILFA (Irish Lung Fibrosis Association). On December 24, Matt fulfilled that promise when he presented this group with a cheque for 2,100 euros.
Fingal Volunteer Annual Awards Night
Fingal volunteer groups, including Swords Tidy Towns, were invited to an awards night at the Carlton Hotel on December 6 to celebrate their achievements during 2019. STT members Gerry Brennan and Matt Cullen had completed the Level 3 Certificate course on behalf of our group. They were presented with their Level 3 Certificate and the prize money which accompanies this award. It was also an enjoyable social occasion, giving members of the various volunteer groups the opportunity to meet and mingle.
Silver Medal
Members of Blackrock Tidy Towns (County Louth) were the wonderful hosts of an awards ceremony on November 12. On that night Swords Tidy Towns was presented with its silver medal, which had been announced at the Supervalu Awards in September. This is our third consecutive Silver Medal. Members were congratulated on the awards night by Eoghan O’Brien, Mayor of Fingal.
Tree planting for Science Week
This year, as part of the Science Week (10-17 Nov 2019 ) Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), in partnership with Coillte, have launched a nationwide tree planting initiative which seen 30, 000 saplings being planted across the country.
Swords Tidy Towns have joined Swords Woodland Association, Fingal County Council and the Easy Treesie – Crann Project to help plant 1,000 Coillte saplings with their community as a Climate Action. The mix of oak, alder, willow and birch has been planted in the Ward River Valley “The Jacko” and Broadmeadow Linear Park. A few trees have been also planted at the Malahide road roundabout by our Swords Tidy Towns volunteers.
Table Quiz Night
On Thursday 24th of October we had our annual Quiz Night to rise funds for Swords Tidy Towns. It was a fantastic success which is due to the people of Swords who came out in large numbers to support us. The final total raised was nearly €1,500. There were a few hiccups during the night mainly the sound system and the answers check list sheets at the end. This was all due to a few last-minute problems which came up earlier in the day which was beyond the control of the pub management. Swords Tidy Towns wish to thank the staff and management of the Borough Pub for pulling it off so we didn’t have to cancel the evening. We hope it didn’t spoil your enjoyment too much. A big thank you must also go to all the local businesses who gave so generously we couldn’t have done it without you. Well done to all the Quiz winners and those who picked up a raffle prize on the night, we look forward to your continued support into the future in helping us to bring the Gold Medal to the beautiful town of Swords next year.
Re-use and upcycle of discarded musical instruments initiative
Swords Tidy Towns have instigated an Upcycling initiative which involves finding new homes for unwanted Musical Instruments. The initiative was a great success with the two local schools we approached. Their music teachers were delighted to take the instruments from us saying it was a fantastic project. We have had expressions of interest from other schools in the Swords area who would like to link up with us on this project.
Swords Tidy Towns are sending out a request to our many followers and their families and friends to contact us if they are willing to donate a musical instrument in reasonable condition to be used in a teaching environment. Any musically orientated groups out there in need of instruments who wish to partake in this project please register your interest and we will contact you. The contact for donations and registering is Ken Duffy Chairperson 0866008313.
Solo Art Exhibition
Matt Cullen has devoted most of his adult life to volunteering in his community, and he continues to do so. Fifty percent of the proceeds from Matt’s exhibition will go to a project which is close to his heart – the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association (ILFA).
The exhibition will run from October 22d to October 25th 2019 in the Atrium of the FCC offices in Swords.
Please make the effort to come and support Matt’s exhibition, just as he has supportd the town of Swords over many years through his voluntary work.
Greener Community Awards
On the evening of October 3d, some members of STT attended the Greener Community Awards. It was a great opportunity to mingle with fellow Fingal volunteers and to enjoy good musical entertainment. Well done to all the worthy winners, and well done to FCC for staging the event so well in Swords this year.
Silver Medal
On Monday, September 30, a group of excited Swords Tidy Towns members attended the National SupaValu Tidy Towns Awards ceremony at The Helix. Having increased our membership since last year, and having successfully finished some new projects, we were hopeful of retaining our silver medal status. Indeed, we were awarded a silver medal for the third successive year. Later we were to learn that we had advanced by 6 points, and had only fallen short of gold by a mere 4 points! If we can maintain our current momentum, hopefully we will achieve the magic number in 2020 and hit that gold medal target!
Matt Cullen, a dedicated, long-term member of STT, was shortlisted for this year’s “Community Hero” award. He won a “Highly Commended Award”, which acknowledges those volunteers who go above and beyond the call of duty in keeping their towns tidy. Well done Matt!
That evening we met up in Wright’s Bar in Swords to celebrate our success. The management there kindly provide us with tea and coffee every Saturday, while we relax and socialise after a hard morning’s work. In appreciation of STT’s efforts to improve the town, Wright’s management generously provided us with food and champagne on Monday night.
Joining our celebration was another very generous sponsor, Donal O’Ciobhan, who is the manager of SupaValu in Boroimhe. He had also joined us for the awards ceremony, and was very positive about our achievements. Throughout the year, Donal has been our main sponsor. His generosity and support is much appreciated by all of our members.
It was a wonderful social evening, where we celebrated our success. But we won’t be resting on our laurels.
Swords Tidy Towns 