Community Involvement & Planning
It was your adjudicator’s first-time visiting Moyvane. You have been entering the national competition since 2001 and it was great to read and see how this effort has made changes throughout your village. The playground is a fantastic amenity and the walks around the village were a delight to explore. These are testament to your hard work over the years.
You have already completed many of the projects detailed in your five-year plan so congratulations are in order. You’re very strategic in your work and link in with the many support bodies available in County Kerry. It was good to read of your close work with the youth club and the national school. Your website was up to date and demonstrates your commitment to communicate with your residents. We would like to commend the work of your school liaison officer. It would be good to extend the input of the pupils beyond the role of litter picking. Do consider all the categories within this competition and ask the pupils for their ideas on how to better the community.
Built Environment and Streetscape
Your adjudicator was particularly impressed with the presentation of both the GAA facilities and the Co-op. They were freshly painted, clean and bright – a great reflection of Moyvane itself. But in contrast the grounds of the community centre building needed some attention. The existing hedge was patchy and non-native. It did not enhance the area nor does it provide any benefits for wildlife. It is suggested that this is replaced with a native hedge. The pedestrian pathway down the centre of the car park here was in poor condition and needs defining. Perhaps it could be raised, or have some more planters placed at the end? It appeared that the Boro cafe was closed. It is recommended that if possible a display is placed in the windows here and the window stickers removed. The long term project to restore the line kiln is applauded and the links of this walkway with the existing nature walks with good to note. Both Kennelly home stores looked well. The lovely old red-roofed barn adjacent to one had damaged upper windows. These need to be replaced or boarded. The external plasterwork of ‘CC Shine – Provision and Grocery’ was very nicely maintained and painted. The Marion Hall looked well. One busy public house had missing name signs. Your five-year plan details the need to add more colour to the village. Your adjudicator would endorse this sentiment.
Landscaping and Open Spaces
Planting in front of the GAA and the maturing trees inside the boundary fence here looked very well and provided shelter as well screening around the pitch. This is a lovely facility. The newly planted trees to commemorate 1916 were admired. However the surrounding area needed a little attention on adjudication day. Take care under planting trees with annuals to ensure that nutrients are not taken away from growing trees. It is great to note and see the extensive tree planting throughout Moyvane. However, it is recommended that you carry out an audit of all the trees that you have recently planted in the village. Many of them were struggling through lack of nutrients or water which is essential in the early years. Others are being damaged as their support straps are too tight. This is particularly noticeable in the church car park.
The newly planted flower bed at the entrance to the lime kiln foot path looked quite well. The use of shrubs and perennials is to be encouraged as adjudicators are looking for year round structure and sustainable planting. They were a number of other planters in the village. Those under the information sign worked well. Some however were placed in older tubs in obscure areas. Do not be afraid to remove old planters or reposition them.
Wildlife and Natural Amenities
You have put a lot of effort into improving access to the natural habitats around the village. But you adjudicator feels that you could do more to raise awareness of the natural environment. There is obviously a large colony of rooks – have these ever been surveyed? What special wildlife habitats do you have in the village? How do you raise awareness of these? Do you organise any wildlife walks? You could organise your local version of the national dawn chorus in May every year. View www.BirdwatchIreland.ie and read how you can join in this national project. Summer bat walks are also very popular. There are a lot of marks that you could potentially gain in this category of the competition. It is suggested you contact Kerry County Council’s biodiversity officer for ideas on how to raise awareness of the wildlife and habitats in Moyvane.
Your adjudicator felt that excessive weed killer had been applied at the access route to the nature walk from Woodgrove estate. Such a natural area does not need to be tightly controlled. The TidyTowns competition encourages communities to limit their use of weed killer and to encourage volunteers to hand pull weeds in public areas. Remember the quotation that a ‘weed is simply a flower in the wrong place’.
Sustainable Waste And Resource Management
Your adjudicator would like to congratulate the national school on achieving your first green flag. The message to “support Moyvane’ was noted brightly written on the clothing recycling containers. Large pallets of recycling were noted outside Gala indicating a commitment to waste management. The building was very nicely presented but take care with the number of signs here.
Generally this category of the competition has moved beyond the concept of waste segregation. It focuses on reducing and limiting the amount of resources we use. Some great advice is available from the TidyTowns website www.tidytowns.ie. Since the school has achieved its litter and waste management flag they may have some good statistics that you could share on how much waste Moyvane produces and how this can be reduced. You can also organise a couple of workshops on composting or some second-hand clothes swap parties highlighting the sustainable nature of these.
Tidiness and Litter Control
You are commended for the removal of bins in the village as part of your strategy to stop illegal dumping. You have a large number of volunteers helping you with your litter picks. What are the main types of litter encountered in the village? It is recommended that you do a quick litter survey to record the main types and times when litter is deposited. This will help you identify a number of target actions to address littering. So for example, if chewing gum is an issue maybe you could give out free gum wrappers at community events?
There were two redundant petrol pumps on the Knockanure road on separate sites. Could they be removed or enhanced as unfortunately they do detract from here? Perhaps the wooden fencing at the rear of the church car park could be painted? The old stone bridge by the lime kiln has four metal poles possibly for hazard warning signs. These signs were missing. The village is obviously in a busy farming community but it was felt that some of the farm gates in the village itself were in a poor condition and could be enhanced. There was a poorly marked disabled parking bay on the main street. There is funding available nationally for these to be re-painted.
Residential Areas
Homes were nicely presented and most residents were conscientious in the upkeep and maintenance of their homes, gardens and boundary walls. It is suggested that the boundary wall at the entrance to the Woodgrove estate be repainted. Some of the homes on the Knockanure road were very nicely presented with freshly painted boundary walls. This served to highlight the need for some others to be the painted or cleaned.
Nearly all of the communal grass areas in estates were tightly mown. The residents are asked to consider allowing some corners of grass to grow to allow the grasses to flowers, provide cover and food for wildlife, and to reduce the time put into cutting grass.
Roads, Streets and Back Areas
Our adjudicator was very impressed with the linked walkways throughout Moyvane. In some areas the footpath ran parallel to the road but had been placed behind the roadside hedging. This provides a lovely safe and sheltered passage for all. Perhaps you could consider painting the concrete pillar and post fence onto the approach roads into the village? You adjudicator could not see any cycling facilities in the village. Perhaps residents should be encouraged to attach bicycles to the railings at the playground as there were no other facilities here.
Concluding Remarks
It is great to read that the competition had given the committee and local people focus on something tangible to work towards. It is obvious that the people of Moyvane have great pride in the community and that they strive to improve it year-on-year. In this adjudication year you have implemented an impressive number of projects. Keep up the excellent work.
