Randalstown does it again!

RANDALSTOWN has been named the Best Kept Town across the island of Ireland at Ireland’s Best Kept Town Awards 2024.

The town not only clinched the Best Kept Small Town category, but emerged with the overall accolade, beating off stiff competition from Towns and Villages across the entire island.

Antrim and Newtownabbey’s towns and villages were the most successful in the competition with three of them securing top positions in four categories.

Ballynure was recognised as a finalist in the Best Village category while Antrim Town was named in the top four Large Urban Centre category.

The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Neil Kelly expressed his delight at the Borough’s success.

“I am extremely proud that three of our villages and towns in the Borough have excelled in Ireland’s Best Kept Awards.” he said.

“Randalstown’s journey from being a finalist last year to claiming the overall winner of this competition is an incredible achievement. This huge accolade is a testament to the commitment and endless effort of Tidy Randalstown, our staff and its residents who take immense pride in their town.

“Ballynure and Antrim have both performed exceptionally well in their efforts to enhance the appearance, cleanliness, and commitment to preserving the natural environment.

“Congratulations to all those involved in making our Borough’s towns and villages wonderful places to live.”

Doreen Muskett, Chair of the NI Amenity Council who run the Best Kept Awards was in attendance at the event and presented prizes to the winners commented:

“I am absolutely delighted that Randalstown has been named the overall winner at the Ireland’s Best Kept Town Awards 2024, they are a very active community group who work extremely hard day and night throughout the whole year, they are to be commended for their efforts in keeping the town so tidy and well presented.

“Each resident should be very proud of this incredible achievement, there are only five awards to be won, so to even be nominated for the all-Ireland is a massive achievement for our town and villages.”

Judges were particularly impressed with the co-operation between local businesses and the community to bring about vast enhancement in the town, noting the active participation by all residents and the “sense of pride” they all have.

The annual celebration, which has been running since 1995 and is part of the Tidy Town and Best Kept initiatives which recognises towns and villages across Ireland which consistently take pride in their surroundings, be it through enhancing their natural environment with flowers and foliage, maintaining the outward appearance of buildings and public facilities, or general cleanliness.

The awards were presented at Riddel Hall, part of Queens Universityt during a ceremony on Tuesday, where the Northern Ireland initiative ‘Best Kept Awards’ partnered with its southern counterpart ‘Tidy Towns’ to decide on the victor.

A spokersperson for Tidy Radalstown said: “It has been said that the volunteers of successful environmental group Tidy Randalstown need to be champion weightlifters on top of all their other talents.

“This is so that they can carry home all the awards they win!

“So the muscles were being tested again on Tuesday past when the town scooped not only the Best Kept Small Town title in the Ireland’s Best Kept Town Awards 2024 but was also named overall winner, beating the other category winners of Malin, Donegal (Village), Roscommon (Large Town) and Derry/Londonderry (Large Urban Centre) and some 900 entries in total.

“The competition, in its 29th year, brought the Super-Valu Tidy Towns finalists together with their counterparts from Northern Ireland’s Best Kept Awards to Riddel Hall in Belfast for the awards ceremony.

“Randalstown stood out for the judges because of the co-operation between local businesses and the community to bring about transformation and the palpable sense of civic pride they could feel among the residents when they visited.

“Ireland’s Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys congratulated the winners while Doreen Muskett MBE, chairperson of the Northern Ireland Amenity Council commended Tidy Randalstown as “a very active community group who work extremely hard day and night throughout the whole year… keeping the town so tidy and well presented”.

“Randalstown won the Small Town category and was named Best of the Best in last year’s Northern Ireland Best Kept Awards but, while they have been regular finalists, they last won the overall award for Ireland in 2018.”

Tidy Randalstown Chairperson Helen Boyd added: “The winning of this award is an amazing achievement for one great big team of volunteers (43 in all) who just keep giving over and over again and never cease to amaze with their dedication and flexibility.

“They are the heroes who made this all possible and all should feel equally proud.”