The national Tidy Towns competition is organised annually by the Department of Rural and Community Development. Participating towns are rated on their care for all aspects of the local environment. Sustainability and delivery of the sustainable development goals in our communities is the core focus of the competition now.  Participating towns are asked to consider resource efficiency, biodiversity and Climate Action in all their activities. Tidy Towns groups deliver many innovative projects for our towns, help to protect local heritage and are involved in planning for the future of our town centres and community resources.

The national competition includes many special awards some of which are key drivers for Climate Action including:

                                The Climate Action and Air Quality Award

                                The Waste Prevention Award

                                The Water and Communities Award

                                The Local Authority Pollinator Award

                                The Tree Project Award

                                The Sustainable Development Award

Twenty nine towns from County Wicklow entered the national competition in 2019 and several more towns have been active in recent years.

Wicklow County Council works in partnership with Tidy Towns groups through the municipal districts and across services including Climate Action and Community and Economic Development. Wicklow County Council runs its own annual County wide  Tidy Towns, Estates and Environmental awards each year in order to recognize the achievements of the Tidy Towns groups, the residents associations, the schools and other community groups who collaborate in Tidy Town project and action to raise environmental awareness in their local community.

For more information about the National Tidy Towns campaign visit here .  Many local Tidy Towns groups have their own website or social media account where you find out more about what they are doing locally. If you wish to contact a local Tidy Towns group and cannot find a contact the Environmental Awareness Officer may be able to help and can be contacted by email at eao@wicklowcoco.ie

Thank you to all the Tidy Town volunteers who give time to their communities in County Wicklow.