Johnstown has a significant population with over 3,000 homes. As part of Navan it has it's own identifiable community and our varied endeavors to improve and maintain our neighbourhood draws on support from local residents, four nearby schools, three local sports grounds, government bodies, and several local businesses.

Objectives

We aim to draw people together, especially those interested in the environment and community, or those with free time, energy, and enthusiasm wishing to make positive contributions.

Formation

Our Tidy Towns was formed in late 2016 to resolve local litter issues and at the time Navan Tidy Towns wasn't entering the competition. Our services to those in less fortunate circumstances were founded in early 2020 with our participation in Meath County Council’s Covid-19 Community Response Group and when the Tidy Towns competition was canceled and volunteers sought to help in other ways.

Assistance

Our engagement with businesses, community groups, and organisations is widespread and each offers something positive. 

Please see our Partnerships & Collaboration listing showing those who have helped in the past 12mths.

View Our 

• Constitution, 

• Principles of Good Governance, 

Contribution

We offer a wealth of local opportunities that support mental health, physical exercise, and sometimes food, clothing, and shelter too.

Our diverse environment projects range from litter picking, tree planting, grass cutting, and graffiti removal, to watering flower baskets. These often simple tasks offer a sense of purpose, achievement, and belonging, opportunities to meet local people, make new friends, and generally 'slow down life' helping to focus on the simple things that can give pleasure and aid mental health. Those seeking fresh air, physical exercise, or even lots of planning and administration can find more than enough to do all year round, especially given the large scale of Johnstown.

Recipients

Together with the benefits for members interacting and creating a positive environmental imput we focus on helping those struggling to put food on their table or provide basic shelter to themselves or their families. The demand for both services has grown over time. The cost of living crisis has driven many families into food poverty and has increased the demand for our regular food hamper service.

The number of people homeless has reached record levels in the County. Back in 2019 we had 71 people living in emergency accommodation according to the CEO of Meath County Council in March 2024 we have 398 people which includes 100 children in emergency accommodation. As long as the demand for both services exists our volunteers will continue to meet the challenge and serve the most vulnerable people within our community. 

Our 3 main areas of work:

1. Community Support

We work in partnership with the Athboy Share Care Group to deliver 15 to 20 food hampers on a weekly basis. Getting the food hampers ready and delivered can take up to 15 volunteers between the Athboy group assembling and us delivering.  While during the Christmas event more than 50 volunteers were involved. We also organised Christmas food hampers Toy Store vouchers and fabulous goodie bags for all families living in emergency accommodation and other families living in food poverty with the help of the Civil Defence Smiths SuperValu St Michael's Loreto and Meath County Council.

2. Community Homeless Outreach

We provide the only after-hours and weekend homeless outreach service in County Meath. When we are called out we provide hot drinks food sleeping bags and try to do everything we can to make rough sleepers as comfortable as possible. If there is one person on the street, we will do our best to make contact with them every day. Numbers on the street in Navan have ranged over the last year from 3 to 10. On outreach, we normally try to have 2 volunteers at a minimum

The transition year students in St Michael's Loreto approached us wanting to do something for disadvantaged people at Christmas. We originally planned a Christmas party for homeless families at the school. However, after consulting with Meath County Council, we were conscious that the families might have difficulty traveling to the venue.  So we decided to bring the party to them with the help of the Civil Defence ensuring that every family would be reached. Everyone went the extra mile to ensure that we brought a smile to children living in emergency accommodation over the Christmas period.  Ciara a staff member in Smiths SuperValu hand baked hundreds of gingerbread men at home which were a fantastic addition to the goodie bags the children received.

3. Community Engagement

Despite mother nature's turbulent weather we:

• Maintained our litter collections and started monthly blitz working with members from the Lighthouse Church.

• hosted our annual Sunflower Trail engaging with the 4 local schools and local businesses, residents groups, and households. 

• hosted our annual St Martha's Bridge summer flower baskets and our first-ever winter basket display, 

• ensured the Green Km was free from weedkiller, 

• Maintained our 'Wild Areas' on estate lawns for grasses and plants were maintained

• We paused any new planting or new pollinator actions whilst our Community Biodiversity Action Plan (grant from The Community Foundation of Ireland) was generated by Ecologist Fintan Damer MSc. We will now start to implement the proposals over the coming months.

• It was great to engage positively with Colaiste Na Mi Secondary School Green Team and TY Students on biodiversity projects. We hope to support and encourage a youth group to contribute to the well-being of our environment and community.

• Engaged with Wild About Navan and participated in the River Boyne and Heritage community projects. 

• We are looking into the Tús initiative to provide further engagement.

• We are considering expanding our winter lighting installations - conscious that we don't disturb the wildlife too!