One of Britain’s largest water and sewerage services company and residents from Cilfrew in Neath Port Talbot, who set themselves an ambitious task to eradicate litter and plastic bags from their community, are amongst the record number of entries shortlisted to receive Wales’s top environmental achievement award.
The Tidy Wales Award was launched in 1990 and it recognises and rewards schools, groups and businesses that are judged to have made extraordinary efforts to make their localities cleaner, safer and tidier.
The 2009 awards are sponsored by Environment Agency Wales and co-ordinated by Keep Wales Tidy. The nine category winners will each receive a cash prize of £250.The category winners will then be further assessed and the overall winner will receive the specially commissioned Tidy Wales Trophy and an additional cheque for £500.
This year, all shortlisted entries in the ‘school’ and ‘community group’ categories will also receive a £50 gift voucher from the Helping Hand Company which they will be able to ‘cash in’ to purchase litter-picking equipment.
Following a summary of their achievements by radio and TV presenter, Siân Thomas, the awards will be presented on 5 November at the George Hotel in Llandudno by Environment Minister, Jane Davidson AM.
Amongst the shortlisted candidates are Kelda Water Services who allowed their staff time off work to carry out over 500 hours of community enhancement work, and the Cilfrew Residents Association in Neath Port Talbot who have been encouraging retail outlets in the village to supply customers with cloth bags made by a local craft shop as a replacement for plastic bags.
Also in the reckoning is the Plas Cybi Partnership from Holyhead who encouraged the local community to remove over 50 tons of general waste from their surroundings, and the Ely Garden Villagers from Cardiff who transformed waste ground into a valuable local amenity.
Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy commented:
“Every year we marvel at the efforts that some people have made towards improving their surroundings. If we all made a little effort we could be living in a country that we could be truly proud to live and work in.”
He added: “We have the expertise to transform Wales; all we need are more people willing to get their hands dirty once in a while. The volunteers that I have met have had beaming faces and a sense of pride in their achievements.”
