Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner is Glin!
The West of Limerick is awake and celebrating after Glin was announced as overall winner of Limerick Going for Gold 2016.
There were jubilant celebrations in The Strand Hotel this evening (Tuesday 11 October) as the residents of the village claimed the top prize.
Richard Lynch of ILoveLimerick.com hosted the event and said,”I am honoured to be involved with this initiative for the past 5 years. It is my favourite event of the year!”
Limerick Going for Gold’s mission is to make Limerick a brighter, better, cleaner place to live, work and visit.
The competition fosters and nurtures community spirit and it’s plain to see in every town, village and estate that it’s flourishing.
A total of twelve communities made the final of the Limerick Going for Gold Challenge Category. Limerick Going for Gold 2016 has a prize pool of over €76,000, courtesy of the JP McManus Charitable Foundation.
Prizes were also awarded in five other Going for Gold categories, including Limerick in Bloom, Best Estate/ Residential Area and Endeavour Award.
Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon congratulated the participating communities: “It’s through the hard work and the commitment of the local communities that ensures that Limerick Going for Gold continues to be a tremendous success. Who would have thought that the competition, which began in 2010, would have grown so much and captured the imagination of everyone, and become the success that it is.”
“I would like to that Limerick City and County Council and the JP McManus Charitable Foundation for organising the initiative, as well as the event supporters and sponsors including Limerick’s Live 95FM, The Limerick Leader and The Limerick Chronicle, The Limerick Post, Parkway Shopping Centre, I Love Limerick and Southern Marketing Media and Design.”
“Going for Gold’s mission is to make Limerick a brighter, better, cleaner place to live, work and visit and every community who participated in this campaign, as well as the event sponsors and supporters continue to contribute to that mission,” added Mayor O’Hanlon.
The Challenge Category final was made up of 12 groups from Limerick city and county who were decided by a combination of local judging and results from the national Tidy Towns Competition.
Finalists were chosen by popular vote on Live 95FM over a five-week period. The finalists were Hospital, Kilteely, Murroe, Newcastle West and Patrickswell.
They were joined by seven wildcards – Adare Bruff, Croom, Feenagh, Glin, Moyross, and Rathkeale – which were selected by the Limerick Going for Gold judging panel of David Hurley (reporter with The Limerick Leader), Nick Condon (Tidy Towns Adjudicator) and Gerry Behan (retired Director of Service, Limerick County Council).
Following visits to each of the locations and lengthy discussions between the judges, this year’s Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner is Glin.
They receive the top prize of €10,000, with Kilteely receiving €7,000 for second and Adare getting €5,000 for third.
All finalists receive prizes to help them continue their good work.
Going for Gold 2016 Limerick in Bloom Category’s Overall winner was Ardpatrick (€5,000) with Strand in runners-up position (€3,000).
Prizes were also awarded to Tidy Towns groups based on their Tidy Towns score.
Rockhill received €3,000 for being the Most Improved Tidy Towns group.
Glenbrook Glendale Glendale Lawn scooped the €2,000 first prize in the Estates/ Residential Area category.
Endeavour Awards of €1,000 each to encourage and/or support ongoing work on the environment were presented to Limerick Youth Service Centre, Back2New Upcycling, Newcastle West and PALLs, Probation and Linkage in Limerick Scheme Dock and the Adapt Shop on Sarsfield Street for their joint Upcycling Initiative.
The Garden Competition Category was sponsored by the Parkway Shopping Centre and featured a prize fund of €1,000 in shopping vouchers. Roger Beck from the Parkway Shopping Centre presented the top prize to Mrs Nellie Barrett, Ballintubber, Newcastle West.
Speaking at the ceremony, Gerry Boland of the JP McManus Charitable Foundation said: “Individuals, Tidy Towns Groups and Residents’ Associations from across Limerick city and county have once again come out in numbers to support this initiative. One hundred and forty four groups participated this year and your participation and the voluntary work that you are doing creates a real sense of community in your local areas.
Gordon Daly, Director of Service Operations with Limerick City and County Council said: “Going for Gold is one of the premier community awards in the country and that is down to the supporters and sponsors of the competition, the generosity of the JP McManus Charitable Foundation, and, in particular, the hard work and dedication of the large number of volunteers across our communities in Limerick. We are delighted that this annual event affords the opportunity to recognise the contribution they make to enhancing the quality of life in Limerick.”
List of Categories, winners and awards:
Going for Gold Challenge
1st Place €10,000 Glin
2nd Place €7,000 Kilteely
3rd Place €5,000 Adare
4th Place €3,000 Patrickswell
5th Place €2,000 Newcastle West
Finalists (each receive €1,000)
Bruff
Croom
Feenagh
Hospital
Rathkeale
Moyross
Murroe
Limerick in Bloom
1st Place €5,000 Ardpatrick
2nd Place €3,000 Strand
3rd Place €2,000 Knockainey
Highly commended (each receive €1,000)
Annacotty
Athea
Galbally
Doon
South Limerick City and
Foynes
Garden Competition (trophies and vouchers from Parkway Shopping Centre)
1st place Mrs Nellie Barrett, Ballintubber, Newcastle West
2nd Place Christine Ronan, Pallasgreen
3rd Place Gerry Ryan, Rosbrien
Endeavour Awards (€1,000 for each organisation listed)
Limerick Youth Service Centre
Back2New Upcycling, Newcastle West
PALLs, Probation and Linkage in Limerick Scheme Dock and the Adapt Shop on Sarsfield Street for their joint Upcycling Initiative
Tidy Towns Incentive
Highest scores across the following categories (€1,000 each)
Tidiness and Litter Control Castleconnell
Sustainable Waste Management Kilmallock
Wildlife & Natural Amenities Broadford and Mountcollins
Landscaping and Open Spaces Ardpatrick and Adare
Most Improved in each Municipal District (€1,500 Each)
Limerick Metro Gouldavoher
Adare/ Rathkeale Rathkeale
Newcastle West Athea
Cappamore/ Kilmallock Glenroe
Most improved overall in Tidy Towns 2016 (€3000)
Rockhill
Estates/ Residential Area
1st Place €2,000 Glenbrook Glendale Glendale Lawn
2nd Place €1,500 Caherdavin
3rd Place €1,000 Monaleen Park
Highly commended (each receive €500) Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner.
Cappamore Estates
Castletroy View Residents Association Limerick Going for Gold 2016 winner.
Kyleafea/ Caemore Court Residents Association
Meadowbrook Residents Association
Rosmor Residents Association
Spring Grove Residents Association
Verdant Crescent Residents Association
Woodlawn Residents Association
Read more about Going For Gold here.
Check out the Limerick Going For Gold 2016 winner, Glin here.
Check out the JP McManus Charitable Foundation here.
Check out Limerick City and County Council here.