“It gives me great pleasure to be here along the banks of the River Boyne in Trim, Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2022, as we launch the 2023 SuperValu TidyTowns competition. This year we celebrate 65 years of this fantastic competition, which has become part of the fabric of Irish society. The saying ‘ní neart go cur le chéile’, which means unity is our strength, really sums up what SuperValu TidyTowns is all about. Once again the focus this year will be on bringing communities and TidyTowns volunteers of all ages together as we effect real change and make our towns and villages better places to live, work, visit and raise a family.”

“Being part of your local TidyTowns group is a great way to get involved in community life. My department, through the national rural development policy ‘Our Rural Future’, supports vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. I would encourage everyone to reach out to their local group and volunteer, you will be amazed at the benefits to you and your wider community. I would also like to thank our partner and sponsor, SuperValu for their continuing support and enthusiasm through their nationwide network of retailers support groups. This is SuperValu’s 32nd year of sponsorship of the TidyTowns Competition and they are championing awareness of the competition especially in areas of biodiversity and sustainable living.”

“It gives me great pride to launch SuperValu TidyTowns together with the Department of Rural and Community Development. What makes SuperValu TidyTowns special is that it truly shows the power of community and how collective small actions can make a big difference toward ensuring our communities are more sustainable places to live, work and play for generations to come. Every year, 29,648 volunteers across 924 committees give over three million hours of their time to SuperValu TidyTowns – this is a phenomenal effort. We have been heartened by the increased focus on biodiversity and sustainability projects in recent years, as well as the blended energy of youth and gold dust skills of experienced members which makes up the hundreds of TidyTowns committees across the country. We are thrilled that SuperValu has been chosen to continue our sponsorship of the TidyTowns competition for the next five years and are very grateful to the Department of Rural and Community Development for this exciting opportunity. We are excited to work with colleagues, friends and neighbours around the country to make our communities a better place. We strongly encourage people to contact their local SuperValu TidyTowns committee to join the collective efforts being made to build more sustainable communities for all.”

Notes

• the name of the competition is SuperValu TidyTowns
• competition launched in 1958
• 65 years of environmental and community initiatives
• record number of entries in 2019 of 924, 882 received in 2022
• SuperValu are now in their 32nd year of sponsoring the competition
• results of all winners will be announced in Q4 2023

Our Rural Future

Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It offers a blueprint for a thriving and inclusive rural Irelands and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.