1. Community – Your Planning and Involvement
Connections need to be forged and maintained between our volunteers and the local community, businesses, schools, groups, and support organisations, to leverage each other's abilities and achieve common goals.
Our Goals
2019 to 2023
Expand each section to read more.
Competition Guide Notes:
Marks are awarded for the overall quality of the Entry Form, town/village map and appropriateness of backup material submitted with your entry. Other key issues are the participation of the local community, businesses, schools and youth in general; working partnerships with local civic agencies; works carried out and appropriate projects completed; existence of an achievable updated TidyTowns Plan. Consideration will be given to social inclusion, whole of community approach, the role of volunteers and new residents in activities.
1. Engage the community in formulating Goals for the Strategic Plan.
2023
Utilise website to host online public surveys, feedback, and suggestion forms.
Aim to establish Youth Committee Members.
2022
Involve and engage local schools, sports, and social clubs to capture their aspirations. ✔️
Create website for our Group that showcases our achievements, ambitions, and strategic plan.✔️
2021
Use social media to gather responses about our community's features, spirit, aspirations, and desires, that can be translated into actions for improvement.✔️
2020
Establish small groups to develop each project / action point. ✔️
2019
Review past adjudicator reports to establish actions.✔️
Identify our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.✔️
2. Strengthen ties with local schools to deliver projects of community & common interest
2023
Involve St Mary's Special Needs, St Stephen's NS, Ard Ri CNS, Colaiste Na Mi Secondary in the Sunflower Trail ✔️️
Introduce Junior Tidy Towns
Create a Christmas Feature on the Johnstown Roundabout with C na Mi Secondary School.
Host stall at St Stephen's NS Christmas Fair, connect with Parents and School groups.
2022
Link in with schools to promote the Green Schools Flag Awards.✔️️
Engage the schools to help with the Ukraine Appeal and Christmas Shoe Box Appeal.✔️️
Involve St Mary's Special Needs, St Stephen's NS, Ard Ri CNS, Colaiste Na Mi Secondary in the Sunflower Trail ✔️️
Create a biodiversity planting on the School Roundabout with C na Mi Secondary School. ✔️️
Identify a primary contact person at each school to raise awareness of our work and to discover any common projects.✔️️
2021
Involve Colaiste Na Mi Secondary School in an environment project on the school roundabout.✔️
Implement a local project involving each primary school.✔️
2020
Meet with School teachers and Parents Association, to discuss potential projects and fundraising opportunities for joint projects - St Mary's Special Needs, St Stephen's NS, Ard Ri Primary, Colaiste Na Mi Secondary.✔️
Fundraise with School Parents Associations.✔️
2019
Join School Christmas Fair, connect with Parents and School groups.✔️
Fundraise with School Parents Associations.✔️
3. Develop, and maintain, projects and initiatives that focus on community wellbeing, inclusion, and cultural integration. Leverage the connections with social media and residents groups.
2023
Participate in any new appeals that support the community.
Expand the Seasonal lighting display
2022
Provided significant assistance in the Johnstown Navan Ukraine Appeal.✔️
Continued support services: Christmas ShoeBox, Navan Outreach, Hamper Deliveries.✔️
New Connection made with 'Sleep Out Cavan' for Clothing Collections.✔️
Improved the Winter lights✔️
Maintained the Covid 19 community support.✔️
2021
Maintain support groups.✔️
Engage and support CORE Ireland Meath. ✔️
2020
Form Johnstown Covid 19 Community Support Service with Meath PPN.✔️
Connect with Athboy's People Who Care Share group and Inner City Helping Homeless charity to collect non-perishable foods and deliver food hampers to families in need.✔️
Create Navan Outreach to support the homeless.✔️
Provide support network with the elderly / those living alone.✔️
2019
Initiate regular clothing collection with Inner City Helping Homeless.✔️
Implement regular non-perishable food collections with Meath Food Bank.✔️
4. Foster a sense of ownership through the development of ‘Adopt an Area’ Schemes including roads, verges, lanes, and roundabouts. Leverage the connections with social media and resident groups.
2023
Identify spare lawn areas within estates that can become Summer Meadows to embrace biodiversity.
Develop the school roundabout under Colaiste Na Mi Secondary School
2022
Develop the 'Stop Weedkiller Use On Our Streets' initiative.✔️
Expand on the initiative whereby local estates are involved in managing public spaces / troublesome blackspots. ✔️
Encourage Colaiste Na Mi Secondary School to claim ownership of the School Roundabout through planting projects.✔️
Wild About Navan Urban Orchards - Millbrook and Bailis Downs.✔️
Tree Planting - Cluain na Boinne, Boyne, Johnstown Wood, and Bailis Downs estates✔️
Develop a new summer meadow site - Sprireview Parade and Elm Estate✔️
2021
Spireview Lawn residents - natural meadow.✔️
Johnstown Wood residents - end of road site.✔️
Boyne residents - JPP wildflowers.✔️
Bailis Downs residents - Wildflower Fence.✔️
Kilcarn Bridge resident - natural meadow field.✔️
Community residents - Metges Road Herb verge.✔️
Engage with MCC to promote and adopt the Green Km Initiative.✔️
2020
Engage and join resident groups to conduct Litter Picks on a weekly rotational basis.✔️
2019
Identify local residents groups and establish communication.✔️
5. Enhance our relationship with Meath County Council’s various departments: environment, maintenance, heritage, and PPN via workshops, courses, meetings and regular communication to ensure a coherent and sustainable approach to community actions.
2023
Seek out new courses.
Attend Tidy Towns Conference
2022
Integrate a project that directly engages MCC - Bothar Sion.✔️
Attended Meath PPN Plenary April 27th✔️
Attended online courses provided by MCC✔️
Liaised with MCC Community, Environment, and Transport Departments in our €38k Community Grant application to facilitate non-chemical 'Foamstream' weed control.✔️
Liaised with MCC Environment, and Transport Departments in our cleaning project for St Martha's Bridge.✔️
Liaised with MCC Environment, and Transport Departments in our Sunflower Trail requesting permission to use public verges.✔️
Signed up for MCC Green Kilometer Initiative 2022✔️
2021
Attend Courses relevant to community projects and initiatives run by any council or all Ireland group. Provide feedback to the community.✔️
Entered and Winner of Navan Municipal District Pride of Place Awards - Actions for Pollinators and Large Town. Entered and Joint Winner of County Pride of Place Awards - Actions for Pollinators.✔️
2020
Attend workshops / courses run by MCC.✔️
2019
Engage with Meath PPN.✔️
Attend Tidy Towns Conference.✔️
6. Engage with and support other community-led organisations in areas of shared interest to achieve common goals.
2023
Develop an event such as the 2018 Dog Day, a fare, Sports Day, Workshop, Planting Day or similar, with local groups.
Identify and connect with nearby Tidy Towns Groups to form a collaborative network, share ideas, and develop with local groups.
2022
Work with Navan Cycling Initiative to utilise the Sunflower Trail 2022 as a cycle route.✔️
Worked with the Wild About Navan environment group, Navan County Councillor Yemi Adenuga, to create a proposal to host a feature environmental living sculpture display. Presentation proposal made to Meath County Council March and May 2022. ✔️
Worked with the Wild About Navan environment group, Solas Glan Community Garden, Bailis Downs Residents Assoc. and Milbrook Residents Group, to create Johnstown's two Dispersed Urban Orchard pilot projects.✔️
Promoted the use of the Johnstown People's Park for by Johnstown FC. ✔️
Corresponded with Athboy Tidy Towns regarding the Foamstream System prior to our Community Grant Application.✔️
Reached out to Navan Tidy Towns to work together on promoting cycling between our areas.✔️
Corresponded with Rush Tidy Towns regarding our use of the lawn edger for verge maintenance.✔️
2021
Connect with Wild About Navan environmental group to support the 'Year of the Swift' initiative and 'Urban Orchard'.✔️
Identify local registered charities. Identify any with common connections.✔️
Connect with another Tidy Towns Group.✔️
Connect with a local Sports Groups to promote reusable drinks bottles and sports kits.✔️
Host information stall at Bike Week 2021 'Navan Bike Fest' at Colaiste Na Mi Secondary School with Navan Cycling Initiative and Navan Road Club.✔️
2020
Connect with Wild About Navan environmental group to support the Urban Orchard initiative.✔️
Engage with Navan Cycling Initiative to promote alternative transport.✔️
2019
Join with groups collecting clothing and non-perishable food hampers.✔️
Engage with The Orchard's Plan Bee to learn about urban pollinator habitats.✔️
Engage with Johnstown FC, Meath Local Sports Partnership, and Walterstown GFC to use the People's Park for children's sports/training.✔️
7. Undertake projects which assist in the recruitment of volunteers through high visibility and public engagement with MCC, Residents, local businesses, schools, youth, and active retirements groups.
2023
Undertake a Johnstown Family Event.
Build upon the success of the Sunflower Trail and potentially expand to incorporate permanent plantings.
Build on learnings and develop more pilot projects.
2022
Implement 2 new proposed summer meadows with signage.✔️
Implement several wildflower sites within estate lawns with signage.✔️
Approached 58 venues/groups to participate in our Johnstown Sunflower Trail 2022 ✔️
Approached Taylor's of Johnstown to host a pollinator-friendly summer flower window display.✔️
Reached out to Navan RFC with several proposals for involvement and mutual publicity. St Martha's Bridge cleanup project was the first, Feb 2022.✔️
Corresponded and advised Walterstown GFC regarding re-useable coffee cups and gained agreement not to use single-use cups.✔️
Walterstown GFC agreed to continue hosting our compost site.✔️
Corresponded and advised Walterstown GFC on creating a wildflower display at their club.✔️
Continue engagement with Navan Cycling Initiative to promote alternative transport.
2021
Hosted the 2021 Johnstown Sunflower Trail engaging 28 public sites with 19 successfully flowering.✔️
Walterstown GFC agreed to host our composting site.✔️
Engage with a local secondary school's TY students - Loretto and Colaiste Na Mi ✔️
2020
Identify and implement small scale pilot projects with local groups:✔️
2019
Engage with local schools, community support, sports, and social groups.✔️
Johnstown FC to use the JPP.✔️
8. Foster and develop partnerships with the local business community through engagement with organisations.
2023
Connect with Meath Chamber and Navan Network
2022
Promote advertising local businesses via sponsorship of planting displays.✔️
Reached out and engaged individual IDA businesses to participate in Sunflower Trail 2022.✔️
Engaged with The Grow Shop to recycle reusable commercial gardening waste in planting projects.✔️
Reached out to the NavanIDA maintenance contractor to discuss options for weed killer free zone and biodiversity projects. ✔️
2021
Involved the IDA maintenance contractor with the Sunflower Trail 2021 project.✔️
Engage with outdoor dining/coffee takeaway venues to promote reusable material.✔️
Obtained sponsorship for biodiversity signage with Smith's SuperValu.✔️
2020
Continue engaging with Smith's SuperValu for community support initiative and fundraising opportunities.✔️
2019
Engage with local food outlets for sustainable packaging and litter prevention for takeaways.✔️
Host a stall at St Stephen's NS Christmas Craft Fair.✔️
9. Increase online communication, engagement, and leverage allies to share postings.
2023
Promote website
2022
Promote live/video posts ✔️
Introduce live workshops and presentations ✔️
Create website. ✔️
Leverage platforms to maximise interaction and 2 way communication. ✔️
2021
Produce practical video presentations on environmental themes - water funnels, bridge flower baskets, pavement weeding. ✔️
Promote positive group activities that directly affect the community to increase engagement.✔️
Connect with other Tidy Towns Groups to share popular relevant postings.✔️
Leverage local news media to promote initiatives such as Meath Chronicle newspaper and LMFM radio.✔️
2020
Join other platforms to engage new users via Twitter and Instagram.✔️
Introduce live/video presentations.✔️
Promote positive activities to increase engagement.✔️
2019
Review and take on board learnings about what engages users from popular postings and Community Magazine articles.✔️
10. Increase communication, host public meetings and questionnaires/surveys to engage and gain feedback/input on current work, potential new projects to help focus our energy and attention.
2023
Build Category Action Groups on social media by using elements from the Strategic Plan in video clips seeking support.
2022
Host AGM.
Implement and display surveys✔️
2021
Host information stall at Bike Week 2021 'Navan Bike Fest' at Colaiste Na Mi Secondary School with Navan Cycling Initiative and Navan Road Club.✔️
Host AGM - November 22nd via Zoom ✔️
2020
Maintain communication via messenger and What's App group communication.✔️
2019
AGM held in Ardboyne Hotel.✔️
11. Use local events and fundraising opportunities to engage with the public & local businesses and promote awareness, attract new volunteers, and to raise funds for activities.
2023
Potential for advertising planters outside Johnstown Shopping Centre
2022
carried out the Johnstown Ukraine Appeal.✔️
Gained sponsorship of signage for biodiversity sights.✔️
Attracted businesses to sponsor advertising on vehicles to subsidise transport costs.✔️
2021
Online GoFundMe Winter Tree Lighting Feature area - Not used.
2020
Sponsor advert in School 'CnaMi's Got Talent' event.✔️
SuperValu Bag Pack.✔️
2019
Stall held at St Stephen's NS Christmas Fair.✔️
SuperValu Bag Pack.✔️
12. Re establish a public community noticeboards to promote community activity
2023
Use QR codes on street posters to direct viewers to online website.
Leverage Advert Planters at Johnstown Shopping Centre
2021
Launched our website
Utilised QR codes on street signage. ✔️
Regain display at Johnstown Shopping Centre.✔️
Utilise Street Signage to promote achievements.✔️
2020
Establish viability for street display board.✔️
2019
Removed from Johnstown Shopping Centre due to renovations.✔️