This article is from page 8 of the 2012-07-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
LOCALS say they are frustrated and disheartened following recent vandalism near Barefield village.
Three large concrete flowerpots were damaged at a roundabout near the M18 last Sunday. It followed similar incidents of flowerpots being damaged in the area over the weekend.
Gardaí have been informed of the incidents with members of the Bare- field Tidy Towns Committee blaming the behaviour of boy racers for the damage.
Committee chairman Sean Corcoran explained, “It’s been sort of going on for the past six weeks, cars doing wheelies on the roundabouts and damaging the flowers. Then under the bypass these three concrete pots were smashed.”
Sean says the incidents are a blow to the village’s efforts to do well in the annual Tidy Towns competition.
“We’re disheartened and upset. The guards called out and had a look. The people that are doing this are a bloody nuisance. We’ve been doing work on the roundabouts and the approach roads, planting flowers beds, cutting the grass, to make sure the place looks good. And then along come these people and do this. It really is very, very frustrating.”
The incident couldn’t have happened at a worse time for the committee with judging for the Tidy Towns expected to take place in the coming weeks.
Sean explains, “Judging usually takes place in June or July. That’s what usually happens. So this is a bad time for all this to happen. We had nearly € 2,000 saved from various fundraising events we held in the village like the quiz night. But to buy new pots, we’re almost down to the last few hundred euros. We can only hope that they’ll last.”
The Tidy Towns committee was set up in 2010 with local people volunteering their services. The committee has drawn members from the local community who were eager to roll up their sleeves and help out. Their activities include cleaning stone walls, re-setting grass margins and placing flower baskets around the village.
The project also enjoys close links with Barefield National School and the local Clare Crusaders Clinic.
Sean says, “We’re all doing this on a voluntary basis on our own time. We’re not getting any help from FÁS or anything like that. We’re delighted to do it but when something like this happens, it’s really frustrating.”