Abbeyleix Tidy Towns Committee was established over fifty years ago in an effort to galvanise the community to work together to ensure Abbeyleix was not only a great place to live but to work in and visit also. Over the years the committee grew and forged alliances with the local town council, schools and community groups building a momentum that is in evidence today by the achievements of the local organisation (list lit of local, national, and international awards below).
We are committed to the principles of sustainable development and since 2010 our activity in this area has become more structured and formalised with the formation of the Abbeyleix Business & Community Forum (ABC). This new umbrella structure has provided the ideal vehicle to enable the Tidy Towns committee and other existing groups to harness the energy and enthusiasm which coincided with the opening of the motorway and the subsequent diversion of vehicles. The town has been reclaimed by the community from the choking traffic and this has given rise to one new initiative after another.
The purpose of this website is to continue to communicate the Abbeyleix Tidy Towns message “Everyone can contribute to their local environment”. We hope to increase the awareness of the Tidy Town initiatives by using this website to alert members of the community about our activities and also hope to grow our membership further.
Goals for the future
- For Abbeyleix to retain its status as an attractive heritage town.
- Promote environmental awareness, civic spirit and pride in the community.
- Encourage active participation and involvement of groups and organisations in environmental initiatives.
- Create innovative and effective projects and initiatives with a view to addressing local challenges.
- Ensure value for money through maximisation of resources and through effective and efficient delivery of services.
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION:
Following on from our national win in the Pride of Place awards in 2011 we represented Ireland in the internationals LivCOM competition in 2012. We achieved second place overall losing out to Port Fairy from Australia.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION:
We achieved a silver medal award in the National Tidy Towns Competition and were awarded the overall national sustainable development award in 2012
We were also shortlisted for the Green Awards (Community) in 2013 and lost out to Cloughjordan in the final shakeup.
LOCAL RECOGNITION:
Our achievements were recognised on a county level also. We achieved the overall heritage and environment award from Laois Community Forum in 2012 and the Community and Voluntary Awards 2013