Hollyfort News 6 Jan 2021

Highly Commended in Community Biodiversity Project 2020

Hollyfort Tidy Towns has been 'Highly Commended' in  Keep Wexford Beautiful Competition 2020. In the Best Community Biodiversity Project category, their project, Biodiversity Needs Pollination, recorded the ways in which the Tidy Towns raised awareness of the importance of biodiversity and pollination. It included the planting of bee-friendly plants and trees in various sites and local gardens, the current biodiversity project on derelict land in the village, and how one person took on the challenge of the NBDC's Garden Challenge, including it in the NBDC’s ‘Actions for Pollinators’.

Save Energy at Home & in your Community Webinar

Codema will host an online event on Thursday 10th December at 6:30pm which will focus on Saving Energy at Home & In Your Community. 

The event will be an excellent opportunity to not only learn about the benefits of joining the SEC programme but to pick up some useful home energy saving tips coming into the winter months.

If you are interested in joining, please register via the Eventbrite link below. 

• Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/save-energy-at-home-and-in-your-community-tickets-128876459961 

• Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/420075375672615/ 

Link to Codema website: https://www.codema.ie/sec/upcoming-events/

TidyTowns Ireland Photo Comp

TidyTowns Photography Competition are looking for photographs which capture the ethos of TidyTowns or perhaps a project that TTs group have brought to fruition - tidytowns.ie

Details on how to enter:
1. Photographs should be emailed to tidytowns@drcd.gov.ie stating which TidyTowns group you are from or if you are entering the junior element.
2. Photographs should not contain close up images of other people unless you have received their permission to take and submit the photograph to this competition.
3. For TidyTowns groups or individual entries a first prize of €150 and second prize of €75 will be made to the TidyTowns group associated with the entry. There will also be a first prize of €75 and second prize of €50 for junior entries from the 12-18 years old age group. The prizes for the junior entries will be paid to the individual themselves.

The TidyTowns Unit may use photographs submitted for social media or publications going forward.

The closing date for entries is Friday November 20th.

MT NEBO WALK

 We are pleased to confirm that Hollyfort's Mt Nebo Walk is now accredited by Sport Ireland. 

This 5.6km walk has been included on the Wexford Walking Trails website

Check it out here 

SCARYHOLLYFORT VIDEO

 

Tip of the Month - Eco-Friendly Weed Killer

Vinegar is an effective weed killer. Like most herbicides, it is non-selective but unlike commercial weed killers, vinegar is eco-friendly and won’t harm people, pets or the environment.

To destroy weeds for good in these trouble spots such as in gravel drives and paths, add common table salt to vinegar. Just make sure to never pour the salt mixture on soil, as the solution will make sure that nothing grows in that spot again.

Drench the weeds with the solution on a dry, sunny day. Coat all surfaces well with the spray. Any plants soaked with this solution will die within several days. They won’t be back and nothing else will ever grow there.

Tip of the Month

The community herb garden at the Old School is now full of herbs ready for the taking. Rocket, sage, thyme and oregano to name a few.
Sprinkle thyme on bread before you toast it or make a salad with handfuls of peppery rocket.

All Change for 2K Litter-Pick

Hollyfort Writers - 8 poems in lockdown

Hollyfort Poetry Day Ireland

Poetry Day Ireland takes place on Thursday 30 April 2020 

Whether you share a poem, read a poem, or programme your own online event, everyone is invited to join in and celebrate Hollyfort's Poetry Day.

Hollyfort Writers will post an ezine of their poetry written in lockdown here and on other social media sites.
Enjoy the day!

Hollyfort News: Spring 2020

In view of the Covid-19 virus, the Hollyfort News: Spring 20 is online only. I hope you enjoy the read.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has announced a series of measures, including the temporary closure of schools, colleges and childcare facilities, to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak.

Hollyfort Tidy Towns has decided to postpone upcoming events posted on this blog until further notice.

Hollyfort's Spring Flowers Survey

Hollyfort is helping the NBDC (Nat Biodiversity Data Centre) in its survey on spring flowers.

Members of Tidy Towns are contributing to this survey by submitting records of the 14 most common spring flowering plants they see around the Hollyfort area.

You can get involved too by recording your sightings.
It's easy to register. Check it out here

There are many different surveys you can join such as recording hedgehogs or butterflies. Get involved in recording the biodiversity of your area. It's fun!

Hollyfort Writers Launched

Hollyfort Tidy Towns is pleased to announce the launch of Hollyfort Writers. The first ever writers group in Hollyfort  meets fortnightly on a Thursday evening in the Old School.

So successful is the group that it reached its full membership on the first night. If you require information on Hollyfort Writers, email hollyfortvillage@gmail.com

Faces of Hollyfort

Story of a village in photographs

We are delighted to introduce you to our latest and most exciting Hollyfort Tidy Towns’ project ‘Faces of Hollyfort’. This is a community-based project which is both historical and creative. It has been proposed by photographers Joe Dixon (Gorey) and Jacinta McGovern (Hollyfort) who have kindly offered their services.

This is a 3 stage project:

Stage 1 : to record the life of Hollyfort Village through photographic portraits of people who live in or around Hollyfort, or even visit or work here. The photos will be taken in Hollyfort’s Old School and an exhibition of the photographs will take place in May 2020.

Stage 2 : Environmental Photography classes in the Old School, that is, how to take photographs of people in Hollyfort in their environment, for example, at work, or at leisure. This is planned for summer 2020.

Stage 3 : ‘Hollyfort: Environmental Photography’ competition based around Hollyfort and its environs. It is open to all and the best photographs will form the basis of a book which will be an historical record of Hollyfort Village at work and play. 

This is an unique opportunity to be part of the historical documentation of Hollyfort people, whether you have lived here all your life, or have recently moved in. 

Be Part of Hollyfort’s Story!

Contact Carol 0851138367 or

           Jacinta 0876744657

Bees for Beginners

Hollyfort has six beehives almost ready for honeybees.

If you would like to learn about bees and beekeeping come along to our Introduction to Beekeeping with Dave Mulvaney on Saturday morning 14th March from 10 to 11 am in Hollyfort Old School.


Dave is a resident of Hollyfort and a qualified beekeeper, and has kindly offered to run a FREE Introduction to Beekeeping session, in association with Hollyfort Tidy Towns.

This one-hour taster session will help you decide if you would like to join his course on beekeeping later in the spring.

Contact Carol Boland on 0851138367 to reserve your place or just turn up.

Tip of the Month - Plant bidens for the Bumblebees

Bumblebees are dying of hunger and in grave danger of disappearing from Ireland's countryside and gardens.

The population of the most common bumblebees has plummeted by 14 pc in just seven years and a third of our 21 species are critically endangered.

We keep tidying up nature so we have lots of grassland and parkland with no dandelions or clover or other wildflowers and the bumblebees die of hunger.

'Petunias, begonias, primulas and most of the bedding plants we like so much are useless as sources of nectar . . If we could get people to plant bidens and bacopas, it would really help,' says Dr Una Fitzpatrick, who runs the bumblebee monitoring scheme for the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

Source: Independant.ie

Leave No Trace Ireland

Hollyfort is now a member of Leave No Trace Ireland, Ireland’s only outdoor ethics programme, which promotes the responsible use of the outdoors. Through education, research and partnerships, Leave No Trace Ireland enables and supports individuals, communities, organisations and companies in reducing the environmental impact of outdoor activities.

Let’s protect and enjoy our natural world together

https://www.leavenotraceireland.org/