Details have arrived of a recently introduced competition run along the lines of Waters and Communities Award and the TidyTowns Competition 2021.
The River Maine walk signage and general awareness raising work done by Castleisland Community College and the local Tidy Towns group makes them, at least, ideal entrants for this competition.
Greatly Enhanced River-Walk
Much of this work was done under the severely limiting restrictions of Covid time and the results have greatly enhanced the river-walk experience in an educational way.
The Waters and Communities competition was introduced in 2017 but wasn’t run last year for reasons which are only too obvious now.
It’s back in 2021 with the advice / warning to stay safe in the presence of the twin dangers of working close to water and around Covid-19 restrictions.
Appreciation for Water
This competition is open to community groups who have shown an appreciation for their water environment and water heritage by undertaking innovative initiatives or projects during Covid-19.
Four regional award winners and four runner-up awards of €1,000 each €500 each are on offer.
€1,000 for Overall Winner
There will also be an additional prize of €1,000 for the overall winner of the four regions.
The Waters and Communities Award is run in conjunction with the SuperValu TidyTowns competition. The closing date is the coming Wednesday, July 23rd 2021.
The award is to recognise communities who are taking positive steps towards raising
awareness and showing appreciation of their local rivers, lakes, streams, canals and coast.
Joint Sponsorship of Awards
The award is sponsored by Inland Fisheries Ireland which is responsible for the protection,
conservation and promotion of fisheries and Waterways Ireland responsible for the management of inland navigable waterways and the Local Authority Waters Programme which works with communities to get involved in the management of natural waters.
Groups and communities are being asked a series of questions and asked to provide short summaries of their involvement with their local waterways and marks will be allocated according to the depth of their commitment and work carried out.
Awareness Raising = 15 Marks
Community groups are being asked to demonstrate how their community has helped raised awareness of their local water body in terms of: clean up, development of amenity area water heritage projects, biodiversity projects such as signage, information leaflets, habitat surveys, bird boxes, outdoor classrooms, developing of safe access, control of invasive species, in-stream measures, promotion of angling etc with a maximum of 200 words.
Community Involvement = 20 Marks
Please outline how your project involved the wider community? Did you work with schools, landowners or other groups? Max 100 words.
Stakeholder Engagement =15 Marks
Did you engage with your Local Authority or Local Development Company or any public agencies in developing your project? If so, please provide details. Max 100 words.
Long-Term Benefits = 40 Marks
Please outline the long-term benefits of your project to the environment and local community. Max 200 words.
Judging the Awards
All entries will be assessed by a panel of judges appointed by Inland Fisheries Ireland, Waterways Ireland and the Local Authority Waters Programme.
The panel of judges reserve the right to contact entrants to clarify any details submitted.
How to Apply
Type your information in the document – available online – and return it by email to: tidytowns@drcd.gov.ie
Type ‘Waters and Communities Awards’ in the subject box. Photographs to accompany your application are welcome.
TidyTowns Competition terms and conditions apply as appropriate.
By entering this competition, you are giving permission to the sponsors to use information provided for any promotional purposes.
Closing date: Wednesday, July 23rd. 2021.
See: http://watersandcommunities.ie/tidytowns-waters-and-communities-special-award-2021/ for details of the main competition and other Special Awards.
You can contact The Maine Valley Post on…Anyone in The Maine Valley Post catchment area who would like to send us news and captioned photographs for inclusion can send them to: jreidy@mainevalleypost.com Queries about advertising and any other matters regarding The Maine Valley Post can also be sent to that address or just ring: 087 23 59 467.
