2023 Past Activities

WINTER

January

2023 Draft Project Plan  ✔️

An opportunity to check our goals for the year ahead. All suggestions, ideas and offers to help are appreciated. ✔️

Johnstown Biodiversity Action Plan Funding ✔️

Received €5,000 grant from The Community Foundation of Ireland to implement a project to devise an action plan.✔️

Tree Planting ✔️

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Dispersed Urban Orchard Planting  ✔️

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February

Heritage Keepers Workshops  ✔️

Collaboration with Wild About Navan to participate in the Heritage Keepers 5 week workshops hosted by Burrenbeo.

Tidy Towns 2023 Grant Application  ✔️

Our application was submitted February 20th. ✔️

Tree Branch Pruning ✔️

Low-level tree branches often hinder pedestrian movement along pavements and therefore between September and February each year there is an opportunity to rectify this.

A small project team of volunteers is needed to prune any branches identified as needing removal. Resident groups should contact us for support and we will coordinate with Meath County Council to take away any debris collected potentially in March.

Work carried out at Athlumney Hall, Bailis Downs, Athlumney Wood, The Priory, and The Boyne Estates.

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Pride of Place Sustainable Gardening Course ✔️

In preparation for Pride of Place 2023 MCC host a free one-day sustainable gardening course Saturday 25th February in Buvinda House hosted by Horticulturalist Aoife Munn.

Finalise Project Plan 2023 ✔️

Committee to approve proposed 2023 plan and budget.

Tree Planting ✔️

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Enter Tesco Community Fund ✔️

We’re included in the current round of the Tesco Ireland Community Fund in Navan. If you’re shopping in this store over the next few weeks, we’d really appreciate if you’d vote for us using your blue token.

Thank you 

SPRING

March

Trim Tidy Towns Visit ✔️

March 1st, 3 volunteers attended Seminar at Trim Castle Hotel and a tour with the winners of Irelands Tidiest Town 2022.

Dalgan Park Biodiversity Visit Talk ✔️

March 5th, 3 members attended a Biodiversity Tour of Dalgan Park with ecologists and botanists hosted by Wild About Navan.

Tree Maintenance ✔️

Council Meeting March 9th ✔️

Opportunity to meet with Wild About Navan, MCC Transport, Maintenance, and Heritage departments to discuss plans for the Johnstown/Navan area and explore opportunities to support each other.

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A brief recap of Thursday's meeting with the Council Heritage and Transport, and with Wild About Navan.

(These are not formal minutes, only our notes)

Promote National Tree Week, March 22nd ✔️

Biodiversity Action Plan Initiation, March 11th ✔️

I met with our ecologist Fintan Damer today and walked the different areas under consideration to be part of the Johnstown Biodiversity Community Action Plan.

His favoured areas are:

Actions:

Seeds and wild flowers for new school garden, March 13th ✔️

We have donated a dozen spare packets of Irish Native Wildflower Seeds and the MCC wildflower plugs to Colaiste na Mi Secondary school to assist in their garden project.

St Martha's Bridge Annual Spring Clean, March 25th ✔️

An opportunity to make the bridge sparkle again with the help of Rochfort Property Maintenance and water from Navan RFC.

April

Clean the River Boyne Event, 1st April ✔️

We've joined in with the River Boyne project groups to help do our part on April 1st to raise awareness of the river's health.

Native Tree Planting, 19th April ✔️

Several native trees donated by MCC for the community were planted by residents to extend last year's tree line on north Metges Road.

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Promote 'Delay the 1st Lawn Cut' ✔️

Delaying the first cut of the year to estates lawns and home gardens until the end of April will help increase biodiversity at a time when it's needed the most.

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Johnstown Sunflower Trail Germination, 25th April ✔️

Deliveries have been made to the 4 local schools asking staff and students in Colaiste Na Mi, St Stephens NS, Ard Ri NS, and St Mary's Special School to commence germinating 800 sunflower seeds. 

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Promote Alternatives to Chemical Weedkiller, 25th April ✔️

With the support of Meath County Council volunteers began clearing the weeds along the 4km of cycle paths through Johnstown without the use of chemicals. Volunteers are scraping the heads off weeds with shovels whilst the council uses their road sweeper to collect and clear the debris. The plan is to repeat on a monthly basis.

Managing the pavement weeds without the use of chemicals safeguards public health, pet's, pollinators and insects, and even the wildlife in the River Boyne.

Please stop using chemicals to control unwanted plants.

Read about our action plan

Wildflower Site Sowing ✔️

In April we can sow the remaining wildflower seeds collected from the autumn harvest.

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May

Dispersed Urban Orchard Planting ✔️

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Promote 'No Mow May' ✔️

Simply leave the lawnmower in the shed to allow lawn flowers to appear. We expect to see more dandelions, daisies, buttercups, clover, wild garlic, and more but first, they need to grow. 

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Promote National Bike Week, 13th to 21st May ✔️

We'll be engaging with Navan Cycling Initiative for their events.

Promote National Biodiversity Week, 13th – 22nd May ✔️

More information biodiversityweek.ie

Promote Walk to School Week May 16th ✔️

We'll be promoting the 5-day challenge to get children (and their parents) more active and to help reduce the dependency on cars.

Promote World Bee Day May 20th ✔️

Community Grant Application ✔️

An opportunity to apply for the MCC grant to make further improvements to the neighbourhood. 

All ideas and suggestions are welcome.

June

Pride of Place Entry ✔️

Our application was entered for Best Large Town.

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Heritage Keepers Project - June 24th ✔️

The workshop collaboration with Wild About Navan attended in February has led to a workshop to gather like-minded individuals being hosted at the Solstice Theatre.

Install St Martha's Bridge Summer Flowers  ✔️

30 planters packed with pollinator-friendly herbs, fruits, and flowers were installed 23rd June.

Placed on display in late June these need 150Ltrs of water each week via portable water containers and a supply of harvested rainwater. If you're free to help get in touch.

Read MoreRead More

Tesco Community Fund Results ✔️

The vote count of Blue Tokens in the Tesco Ireland Community Fund in Navan is due shortly

Promote 'Don't Mow Yet'  ✔️

Our appeal to the public to reduce the frequency of lawn cutting to ensure that insects have food, shelter, and safety. This is important to the food cycle and will benefit birds and insects, and increase biodiversity in a space that would normally be barren.

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July

Johnstown Sunflower Trail Water Bottle Collection  ✔️

To greatly reduce water waste and to speed up watering the sunflowers we ask local pubs to collect their used drinks bottles. Each flower is going to need one and in 2022 we collected over 600 bottles that were washed and recycled at the end of the project.

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Tidy Towns Judging

An unannounced visit is expected from the Judges to see our entries for 2022 to 2023.

See our Entry

Pride of Place Judging, 28th July

We have the opportunity to present Johnstown to visiting Judges to see our entries for 2022 to 2023.

See our Entry