Abbeyleix Tidy Towns Committee has announced the winners of their “No Mow May – Pollinator Lawn Art Competition.”
This fun contest encouraged people to let their lawns grow freely to help bees and other pollinators.
The group asked people to mow their best designs and pathways through their lawns. encouraged people to let their lawns grow freely to help bees and other pollinators. The group asked people to mow their best designs and pathways through their lawns.
After a month of creativity, the Tidy Towns Committee congratulated three outstanding entries that were chosen:
Students from Scoil Mhuire impressed the judges with innovative designs like “Scoil Mhuire Initials,” “Love Heart,” “Butterfly,” and “Summer Swirl.”
Kieran from Tullyroe wowed everyone with his beautiful “Butterfly” and “Fox” designs.
Rosie from Thornberry created an elegant “Figure of 8” pattern which also caught the judges’ attention.
The goal of this inaugural competition was to raise awareness about pollinators and create lively habitats. Participants let their lawns grow, which helped biodiversity.
“We’re amazed by how creative and enthusiastic everyone was,” said Robbie Quinn, Chairperson of Abbeyleix Tidy Towns.
“The ‘No Mow May’ idea really took off!”
They say that the project is inspired by Rachel McKenna’s innovative “summer swirl” lawn design from Co Offaly. The competition is aligned with the Abbeyleix Pollinator Project, which is a feature of the Abbeyleix Biodiversity Action Plan 2021-2025.
The project aims to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators and create habitats that support their survival.
The winning designs were chosen based on creativity, visual appeal, and how much they helped pollinators. Each winner will receive prizes that have yet to be announced.
As part of their Pollinator Project, last February Abbeyleix Tidy Towns worked with a local contractor to do a late-season “cut and lift” on approx. 4 acres across 4 test sites. Much of this late-cut grass was of no forage value for farmers, so the volunteets were left with a quandary about what to do with it. That is where some innovative thinking and the support of Peter Carey and Paddy McMahon, who manage an anaerobic digester up the road in Ballyroan, came in. They generously arranged to take the grass into the digester plant, where it was transformed into gas, and in turn used to generate electricity.
“We have shown through our pilot that this approach can work and and also allow us to deliver results at increasing scale,” said Chairman of Tidy Towns, Robbie Quinn. He added, “We would like to acknowledge the support of Community Foundation Ireland in getting this pilot off the ground. However, as a small voluntary community group, we cannot resource this project into the future, so we will be calling on support through local and national agencies.”
“This shows how the circular economy works in real life, highlighting a smart way to handle waste and use resources more efficiently,” said Mr Quinn.
Abbeyleix Tidy Towns is a community-led organization dedicated to enhancing the beauty and sustainability of Abbeyleix and its surrounding areas. Through collaborative efforts and innovative projects, the group strives to create a cleaner, greener, and more vibrant environment for all residents and visitors to enjoy. The Pollinator project aims to assist local gardeners, smallholders and managers of housing estate common areas.
The group will visit prospective gardeners and offer advice on the suitability of your space for pollinator-friendly initiatives.
Abbeyleix Tidy Towns will also supply locally collected native seeds appropriate for your site, in the hopes of enhancing species diversity and accelerate the pollinator-friendly transformation.
Last April, the group secured a €6,000 grant from Community Foundation Ireland (CFI) to advance efforts in safeguarding local plants and wildlife. This funding injection is supporting the delivery of their biodiversity action plan, concentrating on tree planting, fostering pollinator-friendly habitats, and managing meadows.
Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of CFI, lauded the partnership as a groundbreaking response to the biodiversity crisis. She applauded the dedication and enthusiasm of local groups in protecting plants and wildlife, extending her best wishes for their continued success on behalf of private donors.
Abbeyleix is home to the oldest stretch of lowland, ancient oak woodland in Ireland as well as one of the best known community-led nature projects at Abbeyleix Bog.
