Swords Tidy Towns has been winning awards for many years as they work during all weathers to keep our community clean. They also put fantastic efforts into decorating Main Street and other areas with summer flower arrangements. Not so well known is an STT member who works on removing the graffiti that pops up with annoying regularity. Delivering a cleaner town on this front is Eric Duffy, a resident of Carlton Court. Given how this work has required constant attention he has a new process for anti-graffiti efforts that he thinks will work out well.
“I first got involved with Swords Tidy Towns when my neighbor, Matt Cullen, chatted to me while he was tidying a flower bed in Carlton Court, he explains. I soon decided to get involved, and after a bit with the litter picking, quickly became passionate about cleaning as much Graffiti as I could.” He is quick to point out that Tidy Towns always earn a lot of respect for wall murals and flower baskets, the work on removing graffiti can go un-noticed.
“Usually when the school holidays begin there is an uptick. I’d say there are only a few kids leaving graffiti but they make the town’s environment look awful.”
Eric has found that a wall might be repainted as soon as he cleans it. “I discovered they throw in the towel once we get to the third round”. In the same breath he worries that what he firmly considers to be vandalism, will surge back into popularity. “I believe we need to encourage the youth to develop their Art through art competitions, a more positive opportunity to show an artistic talent”
As part of a new Council funded project to combat litter and graffiti (ALAG), a mapping and tracking system is being developed for Swords. This offers a new way of identifying areas where graffiti causes a persistent nuisance. This new “public realm awareness” tool is nearly complete. Swords Tidy Towns is one of several Swords based organisations contributing to the design and improvement of this system. Browse www.swordlive.ie to see what is on offer.
The remarkable variety of beautification provided by Tidy Towns over the years is truly inspiring. https://swordstidytowns.com/completed-projects/
“New volunteers are certainly welcome to become part of our team” Ken Duffy, STT Chairperson.
