The committee and volunteers from Rush Tidy Towns were overjoyed on the announcement that they had secured a bronze medal at the National Tidy Towns awards at Croke Park in October. Committee members Matt and Siobhan were at the event, again a first for this generation of committee.
To qualify for a bronze medal you have to be within 35 points of the winner of your category. This year that was Skerries who had 395 points, so on 364 points, Rush actually had four points to spare. Overall we increased by 19 points in 2025, following on from an increase of 18 points in 2024. Neighbours Lusk increased by 14 points, as did Skerries.
Gaining the medal has been the culmination of work done by the countless volunteers and committees over the years, and it is now our job to push for Silver.
The judging criteria is based on 8 categories with a total of 550 points up for grabs. Community – planning and involvement (80 marks), Streetscape and Public Spaces (80 marks), Green Spaces & Landscaping (80), Nature & Biodiversity (55 marks), Sustainability – doing less with more (55 points), Tidiness & Litter Control (90 points), Residential Streets and Housing Areas (55), Approach Roads Streets and Lanes (55 points)
The judges visited the town on Monday 16th June, and provided some really good feedback. They commented positively on the new notice board advertising many upcoming Tidy Towns events, the mural on the Scout Den, the new landscaped area in front of Tayleurs Point, the new hedging at the side of St. Catherine’s School and the planting on the Whitetown Road. Some feedback was also provided such as, we should use more perennial plants in the hanging baskets and three tiered planters, to remove redundant stakes from trees, to not cut the grass as low in the summer, and some weeds were observed.
Irrespective of the result, residents and visitors get to reap the benefits of our work all year round, and we will continue to work with that objective in mind. Thank you to everybody who has contributed however small to enable us to achieve what we do.
