Ballinahown Community Development group recognised for village achievements

The achievements of Ballinahown Community Development group were formally recognised at an Address of Recognition hosted by Westmeath County Council in the Civic Centre Athlone.

During his address, Town Mayor, Cllr Frankie Keena, listed an impressive number of accolades achieved by the Ballinahown community in 2024 which included a prestigious gold medal at the Entente Floral Europe in Hungary.

The Ballinahown community also claimed a gold medal for the tidiest village in Ireland in the 2024 National Tidy Towns competition, while similar achievements were also recognised by the local authority during the Address of Recognition.

"I am very proud of you all for the excellent voluntary work that you are continually doing for the village of Ballinahown under the leadership of Helen Conneely.

"The entire community is involved in this which is so evident with beautiful gardens and no litter in the village.

"I had the pleasure of being present in Ballinahown for various visits from adjudicators over the years. The last one was for the Entente Floral competition last July, where the international jury visited a number of sites and facilities in the village and full compliments are due to you all in this regard where your main focus is on biodiversity and sustainability.

"All of these achievements are due to an agreed masterplan for the village, which is delivered with great energy, hard work and enthusiasm by volunteers representing residents and a fantastic committee with the addition of CE workers.

Finally, I would like to thank Helen Conneely for being the rock in co-ordinating and driving initiatives in this beautiful village. I also would like to commend her for sharing her knowledge and skills to other tidy towns committees in the county," the Town Mayor said.