Patrickswell Tidy Towns crowned Limerick Going For Gold overall champions for 2024

Celebratory scenes at the Limerick Going For Gold Finals, Limerick Strand Hotel as Patrickswell Tidy Towns announced as the overall winner of Going for Gold 2024 taking home a prize of €10,000. Photo: Alan Place.

2024 Limerick Going for Gold sees €60,000 plus in prizes and grants presented to communities across Limerick who are helping to make their areas better with Patrickswell Tidy Towns crowned overall champions

There were jubilant celebrations at the Limerick Going for Gold grand final last night Wednesday 23 October 2024 as Patrickswell was named as overall winner of the Limerick Going for Gold competition for 2024.

Limerick Going for Gold is a community based environmental competition with more than €60,000 in prize funding up for grabs.

Limerick Going for Gold aims to make Limerick a cleaner, brighter more sustainable place to work, live and visit.  It has captured the imagination of Tidy Towns groups, residents’ associations, smaller groups and individuals right across Limerick city and county since it began in 2012.

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The competition is sponsored by the JP McManus Charitable Foundation. It is organised by Limerick City and County Council and supported by Live 95, The Limerick Leader and The Limerick Post, I Love Limerick and Southern Marketing Media & Design.

A total of 15 communities made the final of the Limerick Going for Gold Tidy Towns Category – before the winners were announced at the grand finale, attended by hundreds of people from communities across Limerick city and county in the Limerick Strand Hotel.

Five of the finalists in the Tidy Towns Category were selected by popular vote on the Limerick Today show on Live95 with the remaining areas chosen by the judges, Pat Shearin and Michael Griffin (retirees from Limerick City and County Council) following visits to all of the areas.

Mayor of  Limerick John Moran congratulated the participating communities for helping to ensure that Limerick Going for Gold 2024 continued to be a tremendous success.

Speaking to the hundreds of attendees Mayor Moran said:

“I want to congratulate all the entries in this year’s Going for Gold competition and of course the overall winners Patrickswell. It is a credit to you all how communities can come together and transform their areas in a sustainable way. Everyone working together, sharing a common purpose is a real example of partnership to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Gerry Boland from the JP McManus Charitable Foundation said: “It is very satisfying to see that we are now approaching the conclusion of another successful Going for Gold campaign.  Going for Gold involves so many people in our communities throughout our city and county and the improvements which they have effected in their local areas are much appreciated and contribute enormously to the quality of the environment in which we live.”

Aidan Finn, Senior Engineer, Environment and Climate Action Department, Limerick City and County Council – “Limerick City and County Council wishes to thank the communities of Limerick most sincerely for their voluntary efforts in undertaking and supporting environment and climate action at local level”.

The winners in the Tidy Towns Category are: Patrickswell (€10,000), Kilmeedy (€7,000), Ballysteen (€5,000), Glin (€3,000), and Kilteely (€2,000).

With Highly Commended winners for the category being Castleconnell (€1,500), Glenroe (€1,500), Askeaton (€1,500) Athea (€1,500), Garrienderk (€1,500), and Kilmallock (€1,500).

Commended groups for the Tidy Towns Category were Broadford (€1,000), Feenagh (€1,000), Rathkeale (€1,000), and Rockhill/Bruree (€1,000).

The Limerick Bee Friendly in Bloom winners were Hospital (€5,000), Mountcollins (€3,000), and Gouldavoher (€2,000) with the Highly Commended group being Caherdavin (€1,000).

The Residential Areas winners were Thomondgate (€2,000), Meadowbrook, Corbally (€1,500), and Nicker (€1,250).

The Highly Commended Residential Area winners were Slugáire (€1,000), Gurteen/Southville Gardens (€1,000), Woodhaven (€1,000), and Greater Kings Island Residents Association (€1,000). With the Commended winners Forest View Kilfinane  (€600), Cois Má, Croom(€600), and Woodlawn Park,  Ballysimon(€600).

Endeavour Award winners were Caherconlish (€1000), the ReUse Award winners were Kilcornan Tidy Towns (€1,000) and Elton Tidy Towns (€1,000).

Judges’ Request Awards went to Newcastle West (€1,000), Ballingarry (€1,000), Tournafulla (€1,000), Oola (€1,000), and Garrienderk (€1,000).