Thornsbury comes up smelling of roses

Tullamore Tidy Towns celebrated the most successful year of the competition to date last Wednesday night at a function in the Tullamore Court Hotel. Entrants to the competition were at an all-time high with 28 businesses, 28 estates and ten rural villages taking part in the event. Describing it as the most successful community project in the county, Cllr Tommy McKeigue said he was thrilled with the level of participation and in particular the commitment from Tullamore Credit Union to continue with their support of the project. All entry figures were up on last year and the standard of the competition has reached new heights, said Cllr McKeigue. This year"s overall winner was Thornsbury Estate while Mountbolus won the Rural Villages competition and the Gold Award in the business category went to joint winners, Eugene Kelly"s Pub and Hanlons Butchers. Thornsbury Estate"s Kathleen O"Shea said the Thornsbury committee were 'over the moon' with their win. The estate came first in the medium estate category last year and won a prize two years before, she said. Along with a cheque from Tullamore Credit Union and a stone plaque, Mrs O"Shea said the competition added to an already closeknit neighbourhood as 'it brings community spirit' to the estate. Throughout the year members of the committee, which was formed nine years ago in March, collect litter each day around the estate. The group also plants and weeds flower beds, maintains the greens and waters the flowers. The group also hire a contractor to cut the grass. Speaking of the award ceremony last Thursday, Mrs O"Shea said, 'last night was fabulous, we are all delighted, we are over the moon'.