Delight in Trim as town is declared cleanest in Ireland

After years of knocking on the door, Trim is officially Ireland's cleanest town - a result that has "delighted" hard-working local volunteers, town council staff, politicians and community groups. Trim was announced as the cleanest town in Ireland at a ceremony in Dublin on Monday, pipping Swords and Killarney in the 2011 survey of litter levels in 53 towns and cities conducted by the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) group. This was a first-ever win for Trim, which also collected an Sustained Excellence Award for being litter-free for five years in a row - in those years the town has finished second and fourth. Trim town clerk Brian Murphy was "delighted" with the result and thanked "the whole community for their hard work and efforts which have paid off today". He paid "particular tribute to town foreman Anthony Conlon and the outdoor workers and volunteer effort of Trim Tidy Towns Committee". Local Tidy Town group chairman Brian Heffernan praised the efforts of local volunteers Noel Rochford, Brian Loughrey, Stephanie Galleagus, Francis Simonet and Michael Kenny. "It's fantastic news for those working hard all year round, not just in the summer," said Mr Heffernan of his co-volunteers, who organise town and approach road clean-ups every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 11am. He also praised the council's outdoor staff, the people of the town, business-owners, residents' associations, Trim Youthreach, scouts and schools around the town and said that Trim Tidy Towns was now fundraising through it's 'Braveheart' calendar - available for €5 ahead of the next National Tidy Towns Competition, which the town last won in 1984. Town council chairman, Cllr James O'Shea, said the efforts put in by all meant the award was a "deserved" one. "It's been hard work the last couple of years," he said. "Maybe our new town manager (Des Foley) brought us a bit of luck this time. But it's put us in a great position for 2012 and the hard work shows in the Sustained Excellence Award for being five years litter free to such a high standard." The aforementioned Mr Foley, who lives in Navan but comes to Trim after eight years as town clerk in Drogheda and 18 months as director of services in Louth County Council, said that the town had undergone a "transformation" during his time away. "In terms of appearance, particularly regarding residential developments, hotels and approach roads, you can see the investment and effort and this award recognises the efforts of many," he said. Schools Town foreman Anthony Conlon has an outdoor staff of just six, including himself, and while he praised the staff and volunteers, he had a special mention for the schoolchildren in Trim. "Obviously, it's fantastic and a much-needed lift for the whole community - ourselves, Tidy Towns, volunteer groups, the retired outdoor staff, businesspeople and young people," he said. "For a town with 2,000 young people in it, it's great that it's an awful lot cleaner because they seem so aware of that, too, and the schools, Green Flag initiatives and the pupils themselves all deserve it, too." Trim TD Deputy Ray Butler said that years of planning had gone into the victory. "It's absolutely great for the town, and previous councillors, as well as current ones, should be congratulated for their foresight in drawing down money for remedial works for the town, all credit to them; councillors like Danny O'Brien, Robbie Griffith and Jimmy Peppard," he said. "At least you can see where the money goes - new roads, pavement, streets, sewerage. It's brilliant and there's a buzz around the town." An Taisce, which conducts the litter surveys on IBAL's behalf, commented in its report on Trim: "The hard work has paid off and the citizens should appreciate what has been achieved. "All sites surveyed got the top litter grade. The approach routes were particularly well-presented and this very high standard was sustained for all sites surveyed in Trim." To mark its success, the town will receive a number of trees for planting locally, which are provided by the Irish Tree Centre. Trim's IBAL achievement was formally acknowledged at a ceremony at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, on Monday afternoon.