Community rallies for Kildare village clean-up

A BIG thank you goes out from Nurney Tidy Towns to everyone who lent a hand at the latest village clean-up.

Following on from last month's outing, locals once again downed tools at home to pick up brushes, shears and litter-pickers for the good of Nurney.

This time the volunteers were sporting their new Nurney Tidy Towns Hi-Viz Vests.

Three spots got particular attention on the day: the bus stop, where volunteers cleared away overgrown weeds; the graveyard, tidied up in the same fashion; and Sweep Lane, which received a thorough litter-pick from top to bottom. Anyone passing through those areas since will notice the difference straight away.

Beyond the visible results, the clean-up served as a get-together in its own right. Neighbours caught up over the work, newcomers were introduced around, and more than a few people said the chat was as good as the clean village afterwards. Organisers are hoping the good humour on display will draw even more hands to the next one.

Nurney Tidy Towns extended its thanks to every volunteer who turned out and put in the effort.

Orla Jennings, Secretary of Nurney Tidy Towns, said: "Every clean-up we run, I'm struck by how many people are willing to give up a Saturday morning for the village. It doesn't go unnoticed, and it doesn't go to waste either — Nurney looks all the better for it."

Work like this feeds directly into Nurney's ongoing entry in the National Tidy Towns Competition, adding another small but visible improvement to the village's case.

With the group finding its feet again, new faces are especially welcome. A local volunteer, Adam, said: "A lot of people would like to help but worry it means signing up to something ongoing. 

"That's not the case at all — turn up when you can, do as much or as little as suits you, and there's absolutely no obligation beyond that."

Another clean-up is already pencilled in for August — keep an eye on local noticeboards and posts for the date. You may even get one of the new Hi-Viz vests which sports the slogan ‘Nurney Tidy Towns – Coming Together To Grow Our Community’ which is at the heart of everything the group do.

Anyone wanting more details on what's coming up can reach the group at nurneytidytownskildare@gmail.com.