The judges for the All-Island Pride of Place Awards are in Cork this week (9th and 10th August) to discover the amazing, often unsung community work that is happening across our City.
Pride of Place is an all-island competition that acknowledges the work that communities are doing all over Ireland North and South. The competition is about people coming together to shape, change and enjoy all that is good about their community and environment. The main focus of the awards is on specific pride initiatives which will have long lasting and positive impacts on the communities that participate in the competition.
Each year, practically every local authority on the island of Ireland nominate groups for doing exceptional work in their communities.
Cork City Council has nominated four groups for the 2018 Awards as follows:
Douglas Street Traders (Urban neighborhood category u1,000)
Douglas Street Traders worked together with the Community Gardai and City Council to tackle the issues of street drinking, graffiti and rubbish and soon began to see results.
They went on to organise AutumnFest; teaming up with Cork Community Circus, Joan Denise Moriarty School of Dance and the CITSamba Band, among others to entertain the 4,000 strong crowds! They organised story telling for older residents, and a historical walk. The response was fantastic and the community is still buzzing from it!
Douglas Street Traders are in their third year and much has been achieved in promoting and improving Douglas Street. From the massive success of AutumnFest to the Christmas street decorations.
They have recently teamed up with Green Spaces to create a Fruit Forest at Summerhill South, wall planters of wild flowers and hanging baskets.
Cork Street Pastors (Community Well-Being Initiative Category)
Cork Street Pastors began in July 2012. It’s a multi-denominational, voluntary organisation caring mainly for young people socialising at night. They look out and care for those in vulnerable situations and exposed to harm.
There are 18 volunteers from 7 different nations in teams of 3-5 volunteers.
They receive approximately 30 hours training, are uniformed for easy identification and operate between 10.30pm and 4.00am every Saturday night and special occasions, such as UCC RAG, Freshers, Leaving Certificate night.
Street Pastors carry rucksacks holding flip flops, bottles of water, thermal blankets, lollipops and a hand brush and dustpan.
Since 2012, they have distributed nearly 3,000 pairs of flip flops, removed over 19,200 glass bottles, hundreds of people have been safeguarded, cleaned up, assisted to taxis, received first-aid on the street or minded from further harm until ambulance crews arrive.
On the softer side, they chat and remain with people until they’re in a better position to continue on their way or until a relative or friend collects them.
Africa Day Community Volunteers (Communities Reaching Out Category)
Africa Day is an annual celebration of the continent’s unity and falls on 25th May each year. Since 2012, Cork City has been organising events to celebrate Africa Day. The organising committee has been drawn from community members each year and a strong cohort of community minded individuals have taken the lead over the last two years.
The main public event – “Africa Day Family Celebration” was held in Cork’s Fitzgerald Park. This family focussed event was hugely successfully with over 2,700 people attending. There were acts from African Communities, which ranged from music to dance. There were also lots of activities for children, such as drumming workshops, hair braiding, face painting, balloons, bouncy castles and cultural games with prizes.
The current committee is comprised of active African Immigrants and Asylum Seekers and participants from the regions five direct provision centres are facilitated to travel and enjoy and share their culture.
Mad About Cork (Creative Place Category)
Mad About Cork is a volunteer group dedicated to improving public spaces and promoting our city through guerilla gardening, street art, and cultural events.
Volunteers have brought life back to derelict and unused spaces around the city which have been transformed into vibrant & colourful urban gardens which are maintained by volunteers throughout the year and from season to season.
A standout project has been the creation of an urban vegetable garden on Cornmarket St. Once a derelict & over grown space, now, through the work of volunteers from across the community, we have been able to grow a large crop of a variety of edible foods.
They also complete street art projects. The electrical box street art series converts unsightly utility boxes into canvases on which we pay tribute to Cork heroes and icons. Notable men and women we’ve painted include Ellen Hutchins, The Frank And Walters, Ashling Thompson, Daniel Florence O’Leary, Mary Elmes, Cillian Murphy, Agnes Mary Clerke, Tanora (Corkonians favourite fizzy pop), and more.
The IPB Pride of Place Award winners will be announced at a gala awards dinner which will take place this year on Saturday 17th November in our own City Hall, Cork.
Good luck to all our worthy nominees.
