Green Limerick: Going for Gold makes a mighty return

THE hugely popular competition that promotes cleaning up towns and villages, as well as biodiversity and sustainability is back once again!

Going for Gold, funded by the JP McManus Foundation, is an incredible way of bringing communities together for the betterment of their areas.

Going for Gold isn’t just about the all-important Tidy Towns categories, it promotes climate and sustainability, cleanliness and tidiness in many other categories – a total prize fund of €60,000 is up for grabs.

The Limerick Bee Friendly in Bloom category makes its return this year to relates to appropriate pollinator-friendly planting and floral displays within a community.

Judges will be on the lookout for pollinator-friendly planting, colour, size, variety, location, and appropriateness of the various planting schemes, as well as the management of litter.

Last year, Kilteely were named the overall winners of the category and secured a €5,000 cash prize.

Last year, biodiversity and sustainability were some of the core priorities when it came to judging, a refreshing take on Tidy Towns competitions of the past in which keeping your area litter free was very much the main focus.

Over the next number of weeks, 36 community groups across the city and county will be speaking to this reporter on a wide range of topics, hoping to become the overall winner of the competition, and being in with a chance to win €10,000.

Adare Tidy Towns, led by Bridie Collins, secured the number one spot last year following a year of work which involved the start-up of a new nature trail in the village and making reference and adhering the UN’s sustainable development goals.

The competition is a fantastic opportunity to showcase each village or town in the county while promoting a better lifestyle within your community.

Each week the Tidy Towns category will feature in the main section of the Limerick Leader broadsheet paper, out on Wednesdays, dissecting the work of all community groups taking part in the competition.

On Thursdays, a radio interview with each of the group members will feature on Live 95 and then a public vote to pick each week’s winners.

From the Limerick Leader. Adare Tidy Towns secured the top prize of €10,000 at last year’s Going for Gold competition. Pic. Brian Arthur.