Spring Clean Day - communities roll up their collective sleeves

Cootehill estates are set to look spic-and-span as residents and local groups teamed up to launch the 2011 Spring Clean. Members from a dozen Cootehill residents' groups, public representatives, Youthreach, The Tidy Towns and chairman of Cootehill Town Council, Cllr Paddy Halton were eager to roll their sleeves up as they gathered at Lodge View to launch the 2011 Spring Clean initiative. Cootehill residents are the first in Cavan to come out in support of the Spring Clean. It is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, but groups can also get out on any other date in March, April or May. "The Spring Clean provides a good opportunity to organise a tidy-up of our streets and to have them looking their best," said Cllr Halton. "We are scheduling the first Saturday in May as the date for our Spring Clean in Cootehill. I'm pleased to see such a large turnout for our launch and I know that everyone is aiming to make this a big success in the town." Spring Clean is a national initiative co-ordinated by An Taisce, under which estate groups are asked to clean their areas any time from March to May. If a group registers a Spring Clean on nationalspringclean.org, An Taisce will send out a clean up kit to assist the effort. Cavan County Council housing liaison officer, Marty Lynch, thought the Spring Clean Campaign was a great way for everyone to get involved in the care of their street. "Everyone in the community benefits by becoming involved," he said. See nationalspringclean.org or contact the Cootehill town clerk, Deborah Leahy, Courthouse, Cootehill, 049 555 2395, or Mr Lynch, Town Hall, Cavan, 049 437 8690.