The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys has announced the return of the SuperValu TidyTowns Competition – the closing date for entries is Friday 2nd of July.
Special arrangements have now been put in place to ensure the return of the competition this year, with the overall winners due to be announced before the end of the year. The 2021 SuperValu TidyTowns competition will take place in the same format as previous years, albeit with a specific emphasis on electronic entry and remote adjudication of each town’s entry. Groups should continue to adhere to public health guidelines as they have done so remarkably well since the onset of the Pandemic. Above all, staging the competition this year is a recognition of the extraordinary contribution volunteers continued to make to their communities, even during the Pandemic itself. For this reason, Minister Humphreys has introduced a new award category aimed at groups that have continued to serve and look after their communities despite the difficulties posed by COVID-19.
The Minister has also introduced a special prize for young people, which was committed to under Our Rural Future – the Government’s new strategy for Rural Ireland.
Today, the Minister confirmed that over 800 TidyTowns Groups have now been awarded grants of up to €1,000 from the department. The minister also commended the competition sponsor, SuperValu, for their continuing support and enthusiasm in raising awareness of the competition. Now in their 30th year of sponsorship, through their nationwide network of retailers, SuperValu have helped the competition to become the best known sustainable and environmental initiative in Ireland.
This year there is also an opportunity to participate in 18 special award categories in addition to the overall competition. The Special Awards are organised in parallel to the main competition and aim to reward initiatives focused on improving local communities. Entry is open to all TidyTowns committees as well as other interested individuals or groups. Entry into the Special Awards is purely voluntary and non-entry will not affect performance in the main competition. The closing date for entries is July 2nd.
