The Local Authority Pollinator Award aims to encourage TidyTowns groups to implement pollinator-friendly actions in their towns and villages as part of the TidyTowns competition. Irish bees, crucial in the pollination of our plants, trees and vegetables, are in decline. This is because we’ve drastically reduced the areas where they can nest and the amount of food our countryside provides for them. The aim of the award is to reverse this trend by encouraging TidyTowns groups to take simple pollinator-friendly measures in their local area. The Local Authority Pollinator Award supports the All Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020 and is sponsored by the Heritage Offices & Biodiversity Offices of Local Authorities across Ireland.

This is the 3rd year of the award and the Project Officer with the National Pollinator Plan has produced a newsletter with hints and tips for groups entering the award and highlighting some of the good examples from the 2017 entries, which features Clonmel who were the South Eastern regional winners in this category.

The application form is available on the Tidy Towns website http://www.tidytowns.ie/special-awards/

Other resources including lists of pollinator friendly plants and signage for Tidy Towns groups are available on www.biodiversityireland.ie