Innovative garden club scoops Pride of Place award

CARLOW is bursting with pride as two exceptional community groups represented the county at the prestigious IPB Pride of Place Awards, with the Elderflower Garden Club in Carlow town taking home a special award for age-friendly communities.

The Pride of Place competition, which began in 2003, honours communities that work tirelessly to improve daily life for residents and build stronger, more resilient neighbourhoods. Every year, communities from across Ireland showcase their initiatives, sharing how they’ve come together to shape positive change. This spirit of collaboration and innovation is at the heart of the competition.

The Elderflower Garden Club, nominated in the Age Friendly Communities category, developed an exceptional urban space, notably called ‘a hidden gem’, that is not only educational, sustainable and accessible but is also a social outlet and a haven for older residents. The project won a special award for impressing judges with innovative use of space.

The Bagenalstown Area Community Development Group was nominated in the Creative Communities category, as it showcased Bagenalstown in Bloom, a fantastic community-driven initiative that highlighted the rich heritage of the town, while promoting a whole-of-community approach to getting people involved.

The Elderflower Garden in Carlow town was honoured at the prestigious Pride of Place community awards at a gala ceremony in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. The awards, hosted by RTÉ’s Brendan McArdle, took place in front of 400 community volunteers from across the island, were delivered in partnership with Monaghan County Council.

Sponsored by IPB Insurance, the Pride of Place competition was initiated 22 years ago through a Co-operation Ireland programme to acknowledge the invaluable work undertaken by volunteers and those involved in local community development. It has grown into the largest competition recognising community development achievements on the island of Ireland.

“After 22 extraordinary years, our judges still never cease to be inspired by the wonderful achievements of the fantastic communities nominated by their local council to represent their place in these prestigious awards,” said Tom Dowling, Pride of Place founder, chairman and former county manager in Carlow.

Cllr Tommy Kinsella, leas-cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council, offered his congratulations to the Carlow entries.

“Congratulations to all involved, two fantastic projects. The Elderflower Garden Club is a very worthy winner and the work of the Bagenalstown Area Community Development Group does not go unnoticed; they have worked tirelessly to create and sustain their project, Bagenalstown in Bloom,” he said.

Mayor of Carlow cllr Fintan Phelan described it as a “fantastic evening for Carlow”.

“The Elderflower Garden is a hidden gem in Carlow and I would encourage everyone to drop into it on Barrack Street. Huge congratulations to the dedicated volunteers of the garden and the community section in Carlow County Council on this achievement. Indeed, Carlow was very well represented at the weekend, with Bagenalstown flying the flag high for Co Carlow.” Coilín O’Reilly, chief executive of Carlow County Council, said: “I’m very happy to see the Elderflower Garden recognised on a national basis. It is an amazing project, which has a massive impact on people’s lives, and it is a ringing endorsement of all their hard work to win a Pride of Place award.”