SuperValu TidyTowns Winner 2011
We caught up with Yvonne Quill, Chairperson of the Killarney SuperValu TidyTowns committee, about the town’s win and SuperValu’s support during the competition.
Having come tantalizingly close to winning the prestigious SuperValu TidyTowns competition for several years in a row, the people of Killarney decided that in 2011 they were definitely going to go the extra mile to ensure victory. “We have been very close to winning the last few years so this year we decided to go all out and make a huge effort” Yvonne Quill, the long-term chairperson of the Killarney SuperValu TidyTowns committee told us.
Missing out on victory in 2010 by one mere point, the committee knew they were on the right track but just needed to up the ante. Although confident of victory, the committee members admit they were still overwhelmed with joy when they heard the winning news. “Oh we were over the moon. It was such a lovely feeling to hold that trophy!” Yvonne recalls.
“We really couldn’t have done it without SuperValu”
SuperValu had always sponsored Killarney’s bid, but this year Denis Tetcher, manager of Daly’s SuperValu Killarney, realised the store needed to mirror the determination of the committee and throw some extra weight behind its support. “SuperValu have been the sponsors for years now. This time we really got stuck in with our staff out on the streets cleaning and picking up litter” the local manager says. Yvonne agrees by telling us that SuperValu’s support was critical while the store itself served as a rallying and refreshment point for the SuperValu TidyTown troops. “We really couldn’t have done it without SuperValu” she adds.
SuperValu’s role also served as an incentive to other local businesses to lend a hand or just ensure their shop front areas were well maintained. Yvonne believes Killarney had a significant advantage over other towns because of its strong sense of civic pride. The numerous other environmental awards the picturesque town has won over the years has nurtured pride within the town.
This, Yvonne says, helps explain why the locals are such a motivated bunch of people. “We’ve won before, so people are proud and want to keep achieving more. So it’s very easy to get the people up and out”. Yvonne also believes their motto plays quite a role in their success: ‘if everyone does something small, it makes a huge difference’. The committee combines this motto with a ‘softly softly’ approach when seeking help or recruiting volunteers. “We encourage people to join, we don’t force them. As the saying goes; you catch more bees with honey than vinegar”. The committee has certainly found a winning formula and can easily deploy large groups of volunteers to spruce up the town. Sometimes there would be big groups of 30 or 40 people going out to get things done.
“We have a huge increase in tourists now. People are coming to see the town purely because we won the SuperValu TidyTowns”
The SuperValu TidyTown team is also blessed with an inspirational figurehead in local priest, Father Michael Murphy. Father Murphy brings the wisdom gained from previous experience on the committees of three winning towns. He leads by example and inspires everyone. “He is 86 years of age and says it’s the SuperValu TidyTowns that keeps him fit and on the ball both mentally and physically” Yvonne adds.
In addition to boosting community spirit, Yvonne points out that winning the competition has bestowed some material gain on the town. “We have a huge increase in tourists now. People are coming to see the town purely because we won the SuperValu TidyTowns” she says proudly. She finishes by adding that without the support of SuperValu, however, none of it would have been possible. “We really couldn’t have done it without the support of SuperValu”.