Mayo students help Tidy Towns after robbery

Transition Year students from St Muredachs’ College in Ballina have shown compassion and community leadership with a fundraiser for the local Tidy Towns group, which was robbed of vital equipment last month.

The TY students were eager to help their local community following the robbery, and with the help of their teacher Ms Sandra Connolly and special needs assistant Caroline Fitzgerald, they organised a bag-packing fundraiser at Dunnes Stores and SuperValu and bucket collection as part of their civic and community strand. Ms Connolly said her students have shown incredible compassion for their town with all funds raised going towards replacing the Tidy Towns’ stolen tools.

“I am so proud of the TY students for their hard work organising this fundraiser to support Tidy Towns. It’s inspiring to see the students of St Muredach's College respond to local challenges with such a genuine desire to contribute positively to their community,” she said.“We would also like to sincerely thank the businesses that helped with fundraising, as well as Ann Maire Forbes and Michael Conlon from Tidy Towns for their support and assistance in making this fantastic event happen.”

The civic and community strand, as part of the school’s wider English TY curriculum, encourages active citizenship and community engagement. School principal Wayne Walsh said the students' actions reflect the values promoted in the TY programme and praised the group for demonstrating the spirit of their school.

“I am delighted to see our students at St Muredach's living up to one of our core values: doing for others, not for personal gain,” he said. “We are committed to supporting our local community at every opportunity, and I commend our students, Ms Connolly and Ms Fitzgerald for their outstanding efforts in helping those in need. Their dedication truly exemplifies the spirit of generosity that defines our school.”